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The whip-smart science fiction thriller from first-time feature
director Neill Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson uses the shantytowns of
Johannesburg and its echoes of apartheid South Africa as the symbolically-loaded
backdrop for the first contact with an alien species turned savage social
satire: interstellar immigrants turned repressed minority shuttled into slums
and segregated from the rest of the population. It's smart, savvy and very
clever genre cinema: a story of alien resistance, an action-movie manhunt, an
urban crime thriller, a buddy movie and a conspiracy thriller punctuated with
all the alien bug imagery and splattery explosions of human bodies blown apart
by alien energy cannons that a genre junkie could
want.
Director/co-writer Blomkamp recorded the commentary before the
film's release (and the subsequent success) and it results in a modest yet proud
discussion of where the film came from, how his ideas arose and evolved in the
making of the film, and how he absorbed the technical challenges into his
creative process. The half-hour "The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log" is a
well-produced three-part documentary that explores the film from inspiration to
post-production (where did those great sounds come from? You'll see here), and
there are 22 deleted scenes (totaling about 22 minutes). Exclusive to the
two-disc edition and Blu-ray edition are four additional production featurettes,
and the Blu-ray includes interactive maps and schematics (featuring lots of
sketches, 3-D models and film footage), a PlayStation 3 game demo, BD-Live
interactive supplements and a digital copy of the film for portable media
players.
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| 9 (due Dec. 29) |
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Not to be confused with "Nine" (the musical remake of "8 ½") or
"District 9" (see above), this animated film offers sock puppet saviors at the
end of the world. The postapocalyptic animated puppet show is a wonder to watch,
and the swift, soaring action can sweep you up in the imagery and energy, but
the story never develops beyond simplistic parables. Shane Acker's original,
award-winning 10-minute short (his thesis film, also called "9") is the
essential supplement and in some ways more satisfying than the feature it
inspired. Also features commentary by writer/director/animator Acker and members
of his production team, production featurettes and five deleted scenes (in
sketches and rough animation). Exclusive to the Blu-ray is a five-minute tour of
the animation studio, U-Control picture-in-picture mode (for reasons I can't
understand, I was unable to access the soundtracks), an app for iPhone and iPod,
and the usual BD-Live supplements.
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| (500) Days of Summer |
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"This is a story of boy meets girl," the film begins. "But you
should know up front this is not a love story." That's not entirely true. Joseph
Gordon-Levitt is the romantic who falls for a girl (Zooey Deschanel) who doesn't
believe in true love. Sweet, cute, amiable and stylish, this deft spin on the
romantic comedy charts the rise and fall of a relationship with heart, soul and
a recognition that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved
at all. Features commentary by director Marc Webb, writers Michael Weber and
Scott Neustadter and actor Gordon-Levitt, and nine deleted/extended scenes (with
optional commentary by the same crew, who have a lot of fun reliving the
moments). The Blu-ray promises additional supplements but was unavailable for
review at deadline.
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| A Perfect Getaway (due Dec. 29) |
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If you think you've seen all the incarnations of the psycho
killer couple and the murderers hunting in isolated getaways, then David Twohy
has some surprises for you with this modestly creative thriller of predators in
paradise who play their parts to the hilt. Twohy hides his endgame
magnificently, yet every clue is seeded in the plot and sewn into the design of
this perfectly crafted film. The DVD features both the theatrical cut and a
director's cut, which runs about 10 minutes longer, but no other supplements.
The Blu-ray features an alternate ending, which isn't all that different but is
significantly shorter. I prefer the original.
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| Paranormal Activity (due Dec. 29) |
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The underdog DIY horror movie success story of the year is a
satisfying piece of filmmaking and an overhyped piece of cult marketing. While
the film doesn't stand up to the reason of daylight, it makes brilliant use of
the old fashioned frisson of suggestion. And, given the premise (the suburban
answer to "The Blair Witch Project," presented as the home video recording by
victims of a haunting), it may be even more effective on home video than in the
multiplex. The only supplement is an alternate ending, which is less startling
but more disturbing and unnerving and more in keeping with the tone of the film.
The Blu-ray was not made available for review by column deadline.
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Sean Axmaker is a film critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a DVD
columnist for MSN Entertainment and a contributing writer for GreenCine.com,
Turner Classic Movies Online, Parallax View and Asian Cult Cinema, among other
publications. Find links to all of this and more on his shamelessly
self-promoting blog.
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