District 9

WORTH-IT: (Neill Blomkamp) Unlike most movies today, District 9 never attempts to follow the rules of reality. Million of aliens are living in a fenced in neighborhood outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. The interact with the locals, the locals can understand their click-gurgle language, and their broke-down UFO is just chillin' over the skyscrapers. Nothing new. Never once does the film place itself deep into the future or use some overlooked history page to make its script believable. Its truly outside the realm of realism... and I love it. We're back to Independence Day.

The story (relating Apartheid to the rest of the world) is that the MNU of Johannesburg need to relocate the aliens from their current slums to a man-made campground, far from the human population and strictly quarantined by militia. To keep things legal and "fair," the MNU must get a signature from the aliens being evicted. Using this walk-through to arrest and detain law-breakers (you know, aliens with guns, suspicious garbage, general things they don't have permission to collect). Its rash, of course, and violence ensues as the aliens fight back for their right to habitate. What's weird though, is that director of the eviction, Wikus Van De Merwe gets sprayed by one of these suspicious collectables and can't seem to shake the side effects. Before you know it, he's vomiting an oil spill, losing fingernails and growing scales. Gross to the general public, but to MNU, he's valuable--and hours after he was promoted to lead this expedition, he is now being hunted for alien-human DNA and infected body parts.

The rest of the movie is jam packed with science fiction gore and political impression, but the chase and the fight is worth watching. It's a unique film-style, shot as though a documentary, that makes the movie go by fast and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I won't say its effects can even compare to the old days of Men In Black, but it is a good view, and even with those vanilla special effects, it works for me. You won't be into it if you're not a gore tolerater or if you can't dig science fiction, but whether you see it or not, know that Apartheid was a huge piece of South African heritage, and they're succeeding in getting the message out - aliens or not.

Avatar

PHENOMENAL: (James Cameron) Everyone should see this film. Everyone. Aside from the fact that it is an epic tree-hugging love story comparable to Ferngully on steroids (thanks for that Reed), this film is a landmark in American cinema. In 1939, The Wizard of Oz was the first movie to hit theatres in color. Well, if you'd been around then (or maybe you were) to say you saw it, wouldn't you choose to have had that hand in history? So, for that monumental reason, everyone should see this film. With that out of the way, potential audiences, rest easy... This movie is phenomenal. And not just by Film Reviews by Jenni standards... Avatar is bonafide adjective worthy of my favorite vocabulary word. Writer/Director/(Genius) James Cameron introduces us to a futuristic U.S. colony hovering over a newly discovered planet of energy-rich flora and fauna that would improve life on Earth. The problem is that the inhabitants are hostile and the U.S. military are impatient. A small group of scientists aboard the Earth ship are out to befriend the people of this new planet, despite the orders of the military. By creating avatars of themselves, they can approach the people on the new planet (giant, blue-skinned, agile creatures), learning and interacting firsthand. Longstory short, the military arm of Earth's colony doesn't care about relationships or this planet's eco-system, out only for the natural resources and preparing for war if it doesn't happen soon. Are you seeing Ferngully? From here, its 3 hours of beautiful colors, textures, sounds and emotions all working together for the utmost cinematic experience thanks to the masterful hands of Cameron's crew. The fact that this film is in 3D makes your forget the movie theatre chair, never once acknowledging that its in 3D... (No roller coaster rides or flying objects). You're pretty much just inside the screen. So much so, that once the film is over, you almost believe in the blue people, or if not that severe, its like waking up from dream and shaking yourself back into what you know should be reality. The film is clever. Its emotional and fast-paced. No storyline is sacrificed for special effects and the acting shines, despite animation. I can't say enough about Avatar. Its the most mesmerizing piece of creativity I've seen on a movie screen, ever. Don't miss out.

The Incredible Hulk

WORTH-IT: (Louis Leterrier) Can't say it rivals Robert Downey Jr.'s rendition of a Marvel beast, but Ed Norton and Liv Tyler create a pretty close second to the beginning of this round of superhero flicks. First of all, Ed Norton as Bruce Banner creates an interesting approach to installing a contrast between average science nerd to uncontrollable temper beast. His reputation for phenomenal performances on screen is single-handedly what carries him through this film, because the muscles we saw him with in American History X are long gone. Downey Jr. is much better as Tony Stark than Norton comes across as Bruce, but because Norton is that good of an actor, he does it and you accept it. Liv Tyler is also an interesting choice, and her role comes across as a reprise of her Armageddon Lady in Distress character. (It's Dad, it's Boyfriend, and it's dangerous life-or-death stuff, all over again.) I love her though, so thank goodness she's mastered it. Lastly, as I watched this film, my fellow audience made an interesting comment that this movie played out more like a Comic book than a movie. I didn't even know to be looking for that, but once stated, it was hard to ignore. The Incredible Hulk was extremely visual, like an illustration. Facial expressions, intensified sound bites and flashy special effects took over the need for fancy and involved dialogue, but left the overall film somewhat flat and the audience un-invested. But, don't let the deep read take away from your enjoyment. The aforementioned special effects were explosive. The story a huge improvement from Eric Bana. The Hulk was a smash (yes, enjoy that pun) and thanks to a cameo by Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, you can't help but still be excited for the next member of Captain America's team to have a release date...

Invasion: of the Generic Gene

ALMOST: Ok, anyone that endures this film must be ready to accept frail-pale Nicole Kidmann as a female Die Hard-Bruce Willis. Making a funny face? Exactly. Sorry Nicole, but seeing your bony phalanges turn a steering wheel of an exploded, burning car into car after car during a deadly car race up the underground parking deck to a helicopter pad, only after being stabbed in the heart by her six-year-old son to save her from a deadly sleep. Agh! So, the film was at best, enjoyably ridiculous. Yes, the storyline and the action keeps you entertained and visually delighted. The absurdity was over-the-top and the performances were straight out of the most generic end-of-the-world action/horror/suspense flick. Don't expect a phenomenal blockbuster, or an updated take on The Bodysnatchers, think again, and save your money. If you're dying to see it, wait to pay the $3 rental, rather than the $8 theatre price. As I would understand, some people are going to see it no matter what, just be ready for an overwhelming let-down when the story winds up happily ever after, after a generic pitfall of a science fiction classic.