Enjoyable Films

I watched two movies this week-end. The first was the classic Written on the Wind (1956) and the other was the more current District 9.

Both presented me with great viewing and neither insulted my intelligence with shitty political and social commentaries like Avatar.

Written in the Wind was just plain typical of films of those times. That is mostly character driven. It was a neat story about a self-destructive oil family. Malone (who played the part of Marylee Hadley) in particular was devastatingly evil helping to indirectly contribute to their deaths of her father and brother. Her character presented a twist at the end of the movie. With Mitch Wayne (Rock Hudson) on trial for the murder of his best friend Kyle Hadley, Marylee was on track to have him convicted. She was in love with him but knew he loved Lucy Moore (Bacall). When her turn came to testify that would have sent Wayne to prison, she told the whole truth of what happened and Wayne was set free.

That was one part of the story of course. The relationship between the four was also intriguing.

At one point in the sci-fi flick  District 9 I wondered if it was a satire and even a dark comedy. It spoofed alien-human themes- with a love story thrown in between Wikus and Tania - so well I wasn't sure if I had to laugh or take it seriously. Of course, I assume that was the whole point. It seems you can make a film without explicitly setting the narrative up in typical fashion a-la Avatar and leave it up to the viewer to make its choices.

It's ironic that it took place in South Africa given that the aliens in the film were segregated from the population at large reminiscent of apartheid.

The way it ended it makes me wonder if a sequel (District 10 maybe) is in the works.

What makes me think this? Christopher (one of the "prawns" as the aliens were derisively called) promised his human friend Wikus van de Merwe (who was transformed into an alien after accidentally injesting a black fluid) he would  return to save his people and cure Wikus. 

The film was banned in Nigeria because it depicted Nigerians as cannabilistic criminals. Of course, only an idiot would think this but Nigeria does what all sensitive people do and that's resort to censorship. Americans shouldn't laugh because their own administration flirts with such ideas.

Nigeria also, by the way, has suspended its soccer programs as a result of its poor showing in South Africa. Just what you want to do to improve your chances of success, ban yourself from competition. Dumb.