GOING TO THE MOVIES: District 9: It’s not your typical alien invasion

For the News & Messenger

» District 9: A large colony of malnourished, ill-treated refugees arrive suddenly on a nation’s doorstep. They are in need of care and shelter. Their ways and language are quite foreign to the people on
whose kindness the newcomers will have to depend.

An air of mistrust and even outright hostility develops as time goes by. This is the backdrop against which the new film District 9 plays out. Though it sounds familiar, there’s a twist: The refugees are
aliens — from another world.

Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, the plot quickly fills us in on the alien’s arrival 20 years earlier in a malfunctioning spaceship that hovered — and still does — over the city. The beings, who resemble
lizards but walk upright, speak a language that, to the human ear, resembles the native tongue of the aboriginal tribes.

After 20 years of an uneasy existence, in which the aliens have been often been exploited and misunderstood, the national government has chosen a multi-national corporation to evacuate the aliens from
their ramshackle shanty towns into an area farther away from civilization called District 9.

The man in charge of the resettlement is Wilkus Van De Merwe, a slightly bumbling, but generally decent bureaucrat who quickly discovers he’s bitten off much more that he can swallow.

Director and co-screenwriter Neill Blomkamp frames the story as a kind of documentary with clips from news broadcasts that follow the alien’s experience on Earth, reactions to them and attempts by
compassionate humans to do right by them. This material contrasts with a corporately produced documentary that follows Wilkus on his first day of leading the resettlement. Blomkamp and co-
screenwriter Terri Tachell also explore two significant sub-plots: the attempt by criminal gangs to use the aliens to gain power and a military/government conspiracy with horrific ramifications.

The screenplay’s clever use of a science-fiction backdrop allows for a subtle and thought-provoking prism through which to consider the always contentious issues surrounding immigration, racism and
multi-cultural relations.

The director does a very good job of juggling the multiple storylines, though some small, but intriguing details are left hanging by the closing credits.

Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings fame, served as the producer of the film and his contribution is exemplified by the top-notch special effects work that gives the movie a slightly grungy, lived in look of
realism and edge.

The cast of largely South African talent does yeoman work here, heightening the sense of realism.

A provocative and skillful journey through the cinematic “looking glass,” District 9 is an exciting and bracing film that should definitely be seen and experienced.

MPAA Rating: R for pervasive profanity and sometimes graphic violence.

Joe’s Rating: Three and One-Half (***1/2) Stars.

Also in theaters:

» Julie & Julia: Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci are simply delicious as Julia and Paul Child in Nora Ephron’s (Sleepless in Seattle) new film, a joint adaptation of blogger Julie Powell’s book (from which
the movie’s title comes) and Julia Child’s My Life in France. This layered tale of love, food and finding one’s direction in life has its rough patches, but, when Streep and Tucci are on screen, it’s a light and
delightful as an angel food cake.

Ephron moves back and forth between the late 1940s when the Childs arrive in France with Paul’s latest diplomatic mission and 2002, as the ambitious Julie (Amy Adams) finds herself turning 30 and
outdone by her former college classmates.

Looking for a motivational spur, Julie, a fan of Child’s, decides to spend a year cooking the over 500 recipes recounted in Child’s legendary first major cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She
also writes a daily blog about the experience, all the while inspired by what she knows of Child’s own story.

Ephron’s script is at its best in the Julia Child scenes. Not only is Streep’s performance, which recreates and embraces the joyful, larger-than-life spirit of the chef, spot on, but it is clear Ephron
empathizes more with the older woman and her struggles to be taken seriously, than with the younger Powell. This lack of attention robs Adams of two of her best acting assets, her energy and optimism
and the Julie sequences suffer for it.

Streep is not alone in her excellence. Stanley Tucci’s subtle, elegant performance as Paul Child matches Streep, virtuoso note for virtuoso note.

The director/screenwriter and her actors allow us to peek inside one of the richest and most satisfying marriages ever shown on screen. The Childs’ relationship is one to revel in and admire and the
movie does so, most touchingly.

Consider the Julie portions the not great tasting, but good for you appetizer you have to go through to get to the rich and sumptuous banquet laid out by Streep, Tucci and Ephron in Julie & Julia.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mild profanity and sensuality.
Joe’s Rating: Three (***) Stars.

Joe Barber’s entertainment reports and reviews can be heard Fridays through Sundays on the WTOP-FM Radio Network (103.5, 103.9, 107.7 & Wtop.com.) He can be seen regularly on WETA-TV’s
Around Town and Fridays on Comcast Sports Net’s Washington Post Live!