District 9
Reviewed by: Eric Alt
Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
The Skinny: Thirty years ago, an alien spaceship appeared in the skies above Johannesburg, South Africa. Now, the aimless, insect-like inhabitants live in ghetto slums outside the city. When a pencil-pushing bureaucrat (Sharlto Copley) is forced to go in and get the residents of "D9" to sign eviction papers, he stumbles into a hell of a lot more.
The Good: At the tail end of a summer filled with bloated disappointments (seriously, look at this year's crop of movie compared to even last year's. Did Hollywood blow its wad in '08 and had nothing left?) comes a left-field entry that just nails everything it's setting out to accomplish. Refreshingly not based on a comic book or TV series, District 9 is an original product that balances grit, humor, heart, gore, and "holy shitness" in equal measure. And like a lot of great sci-fi, it wears its social and political commentary on its sleeve. Newcomer Copley may not have been a professional actor before, but the dude should be now. This is like Aliens meets The Fly meets Scarface meets Blood Diamond meets Murray from Flight of the Conchords. And people asplode. Awesome stuff.
The Bad: Nitpickers ay find the wonky Africaans accent a bit daunting at times, but if you walk out of this movie not satisfied that you got what you signed up for, we'd be really surprised.
Prep Work: To catch a glimpse of what's in store, skip the theatrical trailer and instead watch Blomkamp's original short film "Alive in Joburg" upon which District 9 is based.
Arbitrary Critic Rating: I give this five Eberts.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Reviewed by: Jordan Burchette
Directed by: Neal Brennan
The Skinny: Journeyman car salesman Don Ready (Jeremy Piven) leads a light, mobile unit of like-minded mercs (David Koechner, Ving Rhames, Kathryn Hahn) on a three-day mission to save a Southern California dealership from bankruptcy.
The Good(s): The movie has a lot going for it before you even drive it off the lot, including a vast ensemble cast that also features James Brolin, Will Ferrell, Alan Thicke (we were wondering how he got an invitation to the Joan Rivers roast), Wendie Malick, Ed Helms, and Tony Hale. The movie's predictably loaded with memorable lines and sight gags, which benefit from Brennan's experience as one half of the creative tandem behind Chappelle's Show.
The Bad(s): It's all memorable lines and sight gags that don't quite amount to a complete movie. Rather than a rounded comedy worthy of an ancestry that includes Anchorman and Step Brothers, it's mostly a vehicle for the delivery of jokes only loosely threaded by story. Complaining about the plot in an otherwise funny comedy may be like bitching about the acting in a porno flick, but when you enlist a cast and creative crew like this, you should be able to tighten all the lugs on a production before rolling it onto the showroom floor.
Bro jobs: After turns as a bouncer in Knocked Up and a Skywalker Ranch security guard in Fanboys, the next stop on Craig Robinson's theatrical tour of loathsome vocations is as a belligerent strip club DJ from whom comes one of the movie's most memorable lines: "Nobody tells DJ Request what to play."
Theater, DVD or TNT in five years: It won't likely be such a cultural phenomenon that you can't wait until October for it on Netflix, but it's definitely worth your time.
It Might Get Loud
Reviewed by: Eric Alt
Directed by: Davis Guggenheim
The Skinny: It Might Get Loud is a two hour love letter to the guitar. Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) brings together Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page to wax philosophical about the instrument they all love, in the process breaking down their creative process and giving some insight into how they went from kids to rock demigods.
The Good: First of all, if you even just "like" music as a friend, you'll find Loud engaging and funny. White pretty much steals the show with his quips (and his mini-Jack), but the little throwaway anecdotes Edge and Page toss out about U2's and Led Zeppelin's early days are amazing. And, assuming you agree with most of the world and respect this trio as true guitar heroes, you'll get chills at the end when they all gather in one studio to interview each other and jam.
The Bad: If you aren't particularly interested in the process of making music, the history of seminal bands, or the work of The White Stripes, U2, or Led Zeppelin, you will have little to care about here. How did you even get into this theater?
Behind the Curtain: The scene where The Edge plays the opening riff of "Elevation" without any technical assistance is hilarious.
Arbitrary Critic Rating: I give this three and a half Joel Siegels.
