Not a huge fan of Titanic but Avatar looks pretty cool.

Twenty years ago an alien race landed in South Africa, stranded. They become unwilling refugees, trapped in a slum known as District 9. The people of Johannesburg don’t want them around and the aliens, or “prawns” as they are called, would like nothing better than to leave.

District 9 reminds us of the horrible things humans are capable of while making the alien movie genre fresh again. Humans are the oppressors and the prawns are the oppressed. The movie isn’t overly political but the message is there. The story is intriguing and original. It’s not heart wrenching but you might feel some sympathy for the aliens.

The movie is shot in a documentary style which I could have done without but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the film. The news reporter style segments pulled me out of the story unnecessarily but they’re infrequent.

With Peter Jackson and his top-notch special effects team on board, the special effects are, as expected, gorgeous. The aliens are impressive and move like you would expect them to. The alien weaponry felt almost cartoonish in their destructiveness but they fit the style of the film.

Overall I enjoyed District 9. It’s something new in what feels like a genre that has gone stale with copy cat movies.

Quantum of Solace movie poster

The Bond trilogy had been getting stale and boring until Daniel Craig took the role of James Bond in Casino Royale. The previous movies had been self-contained with little connection between them so there wasn’t much to be said in terms of plot. Quantum of Solace changes that, but not by much. Nothing really happens… There are a lot of cool action sequences of Daniel Craig being a badass, but the plot hasn’t progressed much at all. It’s like what Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was to Pirates 1. All it really did was setup for the next movie.

Bond’s signature gadgets are notably absent again. Some fans might be disappointed by this, but I personally like the added realism. The action scenes are intense. Some people complain that they’re hard to follow at times because the camera switches every five seconds, but I didn’t mind. And of course, there’s an obligatory car chase scene and a boat chase too. There’s also a definite homage to Goldfinger. Oddly enough, I don’t remember Craig ever introducing himself as “Bond, James Bond” in the movie.

Quantum of Solace isn’t what I expected, but it’s worth seeing. Daniel Craig introduces a more human element to the character while still being a badass. Quantum of Solace is more about Bond coming to terms with his loss in the previous movie than anything else. It explains why Bond is the way he is, but I’m not sure it needs an entire movie devoted to just that. People who liked Casino Royale will probably enjoy this one and those who didn’t might not. I’m in the camp that liked Casino Royale: 4/5 stars.

Not another comic book movie! No, this isn’t just another comic book movie adaptation. The Dark Knight is truly fantastic. The actors are well cast and the plot is darkly immersing. I thought Iron man was good, but The Dark Knight blows it out of the water.

The movie starts with a bank robbery that takes an unexpected turn and the story takes off from there on an epic adventure that will keep you wondering what The Joker’s next “social experiment” is. It’s brutally violent and dark, but that’s why it’s called The Dark Knight.

Perhaps most notable is Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. The internets had been clamoring about how terrific he is as The Joker, but I was skeptical before seeing the movie. I could not see how the guy who had girls gushing over him in A Knights Tale and 10 Things I Hate About You could take on such an evil persona. But damn was I wrong. Ledger takes The Joker to a whole new level and perfectly embodies the words of Alfred (played by Michael Caine).

Some men aren’t looking for anything logical. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

What I find most remarkable about Ledger’s performance though is his ability to make the audience laugh at even the most brutal acts of violence–most notably the disappearing pencil trick. I’m not sure anyone else could have made that, or blowing up a hospital, funny in a comical way.

Some say that Ledger’s performance would not have garnered this much applause had he not died an unfortunate death, but I disagree. Many of my friends, including myself, who were not in love with his acting, agree that Ledger is the best Joker to hit the silverscreen.

The plot is much darker and has more depth than any comic book movie I’ve ever seen and probably rivals that of some Oscar films. You just never know what to expect with The Joker running loose in Gotham and even when he’s locked behind bars, he comes back to surprise you with something even more twisted.

The Dark Knight is superb. Although it’s technically about Batman, Ledger steals the spotlight. Everyone should go see it. If you can, see the IMAX version and prepared to get blown away by the amazingness of 70mm film.

Despite the amount of blood flying across the screen, they managed to slip in some humor to lighten the tone a bit. My favorite part is when the King Leonidas says “There’s no reason we can’t be civil” as the Spartan captain proceeds to finish off a Persian warrior with his spear. It’s nice to see a movie like 300 able to have humor and still be serious.

300 is a great movie and I enjoyed every second of it. It reminded me of Gladiator except with ten times more violence and 300 hulking Spartans. I left the theater satisfied and I can see why it made an estimated $70 million in one weekend. Now only if they would hurry it up on the sequel…