MOVIE: District 9 (2009)

by benmweilertNo Comments
District 9 Year: 2009 Rating: R Length: 112 minutes / 1.87 hours The best kind of science fiction uses fantastical elements to hold a harsh mirror up to the ills of society. One of the best examples of this is Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 (2009) being an analog for apartheid in South Africa. Sure, it has fun sci-fi elements like the alien weapons and technology, but at its core there’s a solid commentary about racism and the caste system that does nothing to fix it. That it’s still relevant today just speaks to the strength of its message—one that needs no sequel or follow-up movie. District 9’s story benefits from the visual effects used to put these bug-like aliens smack dab in the middle of refugee camps in Johannesburg. The aliens look so realistic, and the CGI is sharp and crisp in a way that even modern films have since failed to replicate. Even the transformation of Wikus (Sharlto Copley) into the “prawn” form seems...
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MOVIE: Little Boy (2015)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Little Boy Year: 2015 Rating: PG-13 Length: 106 minutes / 1.77 hours When it comes to movies with strong Christian messages, often the resulting movie is weak for a variety of other reasons. This might be because of poorly written characters, plot holes, or an overall lack of cinematic quality in the movie itself. This is why I absolutely adore Little Boy (2015). There are many great Christian values presented here, including faith and accepting others. However, the little twists put in the plot of this World War II story make it just that much better than a generic Christian film. If only more Christian movies were made like this, then maybe the (valid) stigma against Christian media might be reduced. Perhaps the one aspect of Little Boy that strikes me as the most unique is the xenophobia against Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). There have been plenty of movies about World War II, but you don’t see many of them addressing the racism against the Japanese...
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