District 9

I'm impressed that a South Africa production was so eloquently able to disguise apartheid critique under a thick gory blanket of sci fi, the way it's meant to be done.  Plus Wikus Van De Merwe is such an awesome action hero, it's hard to not root for him as both a speciesist mid-level manager and a blood-thirsty killing machine.

For more commentary see my original review from 2009.

District 9
2009, 112 minutes, directed by Neill Blomkamp

The Color of Magic (Part One)

Written humor rarely translates well to the screen.  Usually it requires a narrator, and narrator humor just falls flat.  That said, this is an adequate retelling of the story, and the actor selections - with the exception of Rincewind - are superb.  (I never picture Rincewind to be that old; a ragged imcompetent fop in his 30s is closer to my image.)

As a British production, the use of rubber over CGI is noticeable but fine, given that low-budget CGI looks much worse than a low-budget gorilla suit.

I'll watch part two in a few days and finish my review.

The Color of Magic (Part One)
2008, 101 minutes, directed by Vadim Jean

OTIS

The new Alamo at the Ritz has a smaller theater than the old Alamo Downtown. Blocking off four entire rows for cast and crew seemed excessive, but I really appreciate the performers in a film actually showing up for the premiere. Most of the time, if an indy film scores a big-name star, they miss the premiere because they are, you know, a star, meaning they have work to do.

There's not enough zany gore-fest films being made today, and I found this a refreshing addition. The entire cast just seemed to enjoy the movie making process, and it showed with splendor. The entire major cast, except Daniel Stern, participated in the Q&A and confirmed my impressions. Best quote, when asked about her favorite part of the film, from Ashley Johnson: "I rather enjoyed being - shackled... That sounds kinda weird." Weird indeed.

OTIS
2008, 100 minutes, directed by Tony Krantz