District 9 Review

Well, that wasn't supposed to happen. "District 9" was supposed to be another tired Man Versus Scary Alien late summer crapfest. Actually, when you think about the plot, it really should be a crapfest. "District 9" has absolutely no business being A Good Film. But, yet, here it is and here we are. We: the late summer movie going audience desperately seeking out... something... anything; one last eensy weensy morsel of precious, precious entertainment to use as an excuse to get out of the wretched heat of a mid-August sun . It: not content to be just A Good Film -- but, rather, A Great Film. And, on certain levels, maybe even An Important Film.

Whatever you think you know about "District 9" is, probably, wrong. "Well," you say, "It's about a reporter that discovers..." No. Wikus (Sharlto Copley), the main character, is not a reporter. He's a government bureaucrat. "OK, fine" you contend, "he discovers the atrocities that are occurring in District 9 and fights to help..." Nope. Wikus is well aware of what's happening in the district and, at first, is part of a team that's making things a bit worse. "Well, there are big scary evil aliens, right?" Evil? No. Scary? Not really, ornery might be a better adjective. Aliens? Yes!

You see, "District 9" plays out quite realistically -- if, you know, a giant alien spaceship visited Earth. Twenty years ago a spacecraft appears over Johannesburg, South Africa, and, for awhile, absolutely nothing happens. Finally, a mission to the hovering ship is implemented and around one million sick and malnourished aliens are found. They're brought down to the city, a large scale humanitarian effort takes place. Samaritans from around the world arrive to help feed and shelter the visitors. What happens next? Well, what always happen when the news of the day shifts to another story? Except for the government and a Nigerian gang who both have interest in their weapon technology, they're forgotten. (Remember those Iran elections the media cared so much about? Oh, yeah, you might not because Michael Jackson died.)

The aliens are far from evil -- writer and director Neill Blomkamp describes them as worker bees after the queen bee has died: a bit lost and without a purpose -- just neglected and, in terms of their life on Earth, quite poor. They live in a slum and absolutely no one wants them here -- especially the human residents of the slum. Wikus Van De Merwe is in charge -- a job he was given by his father-in-law -- of a relocation effort of the aliens from District 9 to the even less desirable District 10. Under South African law, each alien must be served an eviction notice. This is why Wikus and his team are in the district; to serve and have each alien sign a copy of his eviction notice.

Image © Columbia Tristar Marketing Group, Inc.

Wikus does, eventually, take an interest in the aliens' well being. But not because Wikus has a sudden influx of morality or righteousness -- his motives are strictly selfish. There's a lot of selfishness at play in this film and not a lot to like about human behavior. The most genuine character in the film is named Christopher Johnson -- you may be surprised who Christopher Johnson turns out to be.

It next to impossible to ignore -- considering the film's South African setting -- the underlying comparisons of the aliens' plight to that of apartheid. Blomkamp -- a South African native -- draws on his own experiences of his home country and transforms black and white racial tension to human and aliens on a surprisingly low 30 million dollar budget. This isn't a particularly scary film, but it is gory (Christ, is it gory) and it has something to say. The thing is: even if you completely ignore "District 9"'s themes, there are aliens and a lot of things explode -- people seem to enjoy that. As stated: "District 9" shouldn't really be a good film; it shouldn't be a great film. It is. "District 9" is the best film of the summer -- possibly, so far, the year.

Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos Fight Breakdown

Gina Carano is no stranger to making history. The first to fight in a sanctioned women's MMA bout in the state of Nevada, the first woman to fight MMA on cable TV and later on network TV, on Saturday, the 27-year-old will add another impressive note to her resume, when she and Cris 'Cyborg' Santos become the first women to headline a nationally televised MMA event.

Cyborg vs. Carano is enjoying the type of media buildup that is usually reserved for top-level men's bouts, but will it live up to the hype?

Let's take a closer look at the matchup.

At its core, what is most intriguing about Cyborg-Carano is the fact that they are the two best-known female mixed martial artists in this country. Even though 18-0 Japanese star Megumi Fuji has a more valid claim as the world's best female fighter ahead of either Cyborg (7-1) or Carano (7-0), no one doubts the credentials and skills these women bring to the table. Throw in their appealing styles and star power, and you've got a bona fide superfight.

Fittingly, this will be the first women's televised fight ever to ever use five-minute rounds, and contested as a 145-pound title match, it is scheduled for five rounds. Because previous women's fights went three 3-minute rounds, conditioning could play a major role in determining a winner.

For all the questions about Carano's weight issues in the past, she's never weighed in above 144.5, so the weight limit should not be an issue for the American. Cyborg in her last fight, however, missed badly, weighing in at 152.

The 24-year-old Brazilian will have a slight size advantage against Carano, which is something Carano will be forced to deal with for the first time in her recent career. Both she and Cyborg, in fact, have largely faced smaller opponents due to the dearth of quality female fighters. Because of the relatively even size matchup, neither woman will likely be able to overpower the other as they've done to recent opponents.

Cyborg favors the aggressive Chute Boxe style made famous by Wanderlei Silva, and she is in many ways a clone, right down to a similar, wide striking stance. Unafraid to take part in exchanges, Cyborg often tries to avoid any type of groundwork unless she is in a position to ground-and-pound. Faced with submission attempts from the bottom fighter, she often chooses to stand up and invite her opponent back to her feet.

Against Carano, that is a risky proposition. Like Cyborg, she overwhelmingly prefers to stay upright and rely on her muay thai skills and compact punching style. While Cyborg can be goaded into a messy brawl – and some would say she hopes for it – Carano tends to keep her form, even when tiring.

One of Carano's best weapons is her jab, which she sometimes uses to keep her opponent at bay, and other times uses to introduce a scoring combination. She also favors a front kick that does wonders in backing up her opponents. Against Cyborg, it could pay huge dividends in slowing her down. Carano's never had major fatigue issues with three-minute rounds, but like many fighters, occasionally drops her hands late in rounds.

Cyborg, meanwhile, rarely throws jabs, preferring to throw power strikes almost exclusively. Not surprisingly, that often takes a toll on her late in rounds and she has visibly tired in closing moments of rounds, although she does seem to recover well in between. Because of the change to five-minute rounds, it will be interesting to see if she pulls back on her aggression to save energy for what could be a long fight, or if she goes for broke as is her custom.

One place Carano has to be especially careful is with her back against the cage. Cyborg loves to walk her opponents down and back them against the cage before opening up with flurries. Many of her foes have gotten into big trouble this way, and it's led to the end for more than a few.

Both women are passable on the ground , with Cyborg holding a purple belt in jiu-jitsu, but with only one submission win between them (Carano over Tonya Evinger in Sept. 2007), the contest is unlikely to be decided with a tapout. With Randy Couture in her corner, don't be surprised to see Carano try to surprise Cyborg with a takedown here or there to win a close round.

In the end, Cyborg's most dangerous weapon is her aggression. She makes opponents uncomfortable because the next wave of violence is always coming. But Carano has never backed down from that type of fight. And as long as she can withstand the early flurries Cyborg throws, she will have a chance to win the fight in the later rounds if Cyborg tires from the frenetic pace and long rounds.

Cyborg is the betting favorite of most, who have been convinced that she is faster, stronger and has a superior killer instinct, but then again, she is also wilder and has a greater propensity to tire. Due to technical superiority and a seemingly unbreakable will, I'm picking Carano with the upset.

Review Of The Time Traveler's Wife

(Entertainment Weekly) -- "The Time Traveler's Wife," adapted from the 2003 best-seller by Audrey Niffenegger, is one of those gooey romantic mind-benders, like "Ghost" (which I adored) or "The Lake House" (not so much), in which a couple must come to grips with some trippy impediment to their relationship, such as life after death or a hole in the space-time continuum.

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star as a couple trying to connect in "The Time Traveler's Wife."

Only instead of being milked for elaborate science-fiction thrills, the problem at hand gets treated as a weepy and grandiose inconvenience. Sort of like the metaphysical version of having a husband who takes too many business trips.

Henry (Eric Bana) is deeply, and eternally, in love with Clare (Rachel McAdams), and she with him. The only problem is that he has a "genetic anomaly" that causes him to skip around through time without warning.

All of a sudden, he will melt out of the present and pop up ... somewhere else, in the future or in the past, without a stitch of clothing on, so that he must scramble for cover and regain his bearings. Then, just as suddenly, he'll pop back into Clare's life -- sometimes when he's too young a man to have any idea who she is. (A little confused? So was I.)

More jarringly, he sometimes appears when he's an adult and she's an adoring young girl standing in a pastoral meadow. That's when she falls in love with him -- which is meant to be innocent, but comes off as a bit unintentionally creepy. I mean, is the movie supposed to look like a contemporary version of "The Lewis Carroll Story"?

To muddle matters further, Henry is seen at assorted ages, but except for the moment when he shows up at his wedding with sudden streaks of gray in his hair, Bana looks exactly the same in every scene.

"The Time Traveler's Wife" is built as a game that the audience learns to play, and after a while, yes, we do get the hang of it. That is, we accept the film's mixture of the playful and the slightly arbitrary; we become romantic time travelers too.

Although the script is by Bruce Joel Rubin, who wrote "Ghost," the film's mood doesn't change very much; it's gentle, wistful, gauzy, and placid. Bana, so fantastic in "Munich," has always had to work overtime to prove that an actor who looks like the Aussie gym-rat version of Rodin's "The Thinker" can play a gentle, unassuming regular guy.

But he does nicely here. He and McAdams are sweet together, with matching dimples and starry eyes, and we grow eager to see them remain in the same place.

In the end, that's all there is to the movie, really. It's a time-travel fantasy in search of a cozy love seat.

EW Grade: B-minus

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