The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is originally a book by Alice Sebold.  I'll start by admitting I did not read it.  I don't read much fiction.  However, this caught my eye as many people said it was an amazing book.  On top of that, Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, ehh King Kong) was directing it.

The cast was decent, everything you'd expect out of Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, and an elder Susan Surandon.  Stanley Tucci is almost unrecognizable as Suzie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan)'s killer.  He does a terrific job, as does the young 15 year old.

The movie is not very graphic, but does do a good job of explaining all of the events.

The premise is of Suzie Salmon getting murdered by a person from the neighborhood but her soul is stuck in an in-between of earth and heaven and people can feel her presence, and she is on a quest to be at peace with her death, as is her family.  She almost leaves an aura of clues about her unsolved murder throughout the movie until suspicions of who killed her arise out of her family.

The concept is wild in thought, and tough to execute.  While Jackson did the best that was possible, this movie is truly one of those movies where it should have stayed a book.  I think some tasks are just too much. Also, to fully develop an in-between is an abstract concept that is left best to the mind, not to the eyes.

While I feel this movie wasn't a let down, it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be, going in with no previous thoughts on the book/movie.

I rate this movie a 6.9 out of 10.

District 9

Let me start off by saying, WOW. After watching the trailers for the last two months, I figured this would be like another Cloverfield type movie. Where basically its all trailer hype, and the movie doesn't deliver. Needless to say, I was blown away.

The movie starts out in documentary form, laying down the foundation from the aliens first arrival some 30 years ago until present day today. It gives you the people's opinions, feelings, and the whole thing seems very genuine. From there we arrive at the current day. The lead, Wikus Van De Merwe, played by Sharlto Copley, at first seems a little miscast. But shortly after the movie begins and from there on out, you realize more and more that his acting is phenominal for the role.

Short premise for the movie would be that aliens came here 30 years ago in South Africa, and have been relocated after a short time to a "refugee camp" call District 9. The aliens are treated as second class citizens and District 9 has become a slum in the middle of South Africa, and the citizens do not want it there any more. The lead, Wikus, is sent to evict the alien residents and inform them of their relocation to a smaller, more structured, and more militarized camp. At the same time, MNU, a military company who has been contracted to run the "refugee camps" is looking to figure out how to use the aliens' technology. After a short time, Wikus becomes exposed to an alien chemical and the consequences set the tone for the entire movie.

From start to finish this movie is impressive. Its storyline is phenominally written and this movie is something totally different from what we've seen in a long time. Everything seems realistic. The special effects aren't over done, either. Also, we get to look at some fresh, new faces and not the same Hollywood A and B listers.

This is more than just "an alien movie," this is a masterpiece.

I rate this movie 9.6 of 10.