District 9

The new trailer is out for “Elysium,” Neill Blomkamp’s highly anticipated follow-up to his Oscar-nominated feature debut “District 9,” and it promises to return the filmmaker to the realm of cerebral sci-fi that won him such an ardent following. In the year 2154, the wealthy residents of Earth have relocated to the paradise of Elysium, a beautiful space station where there is no poverty, no war and no sickness — and where strict anti-immigration measures ensure that only those rich enough to pay for admittance are admitted to its pristine confines. It’s the job of Jodie Foster’s Secretary Delacourt to keep out the hoi polloi. After an unexpected turn of events leaves Matt Damon’s Earth-bound tough guy Max in a fight for his life, he agrees to attempt a risky scheme to save himself, but he finds himself targeted by […]

A sci-fi movie with an elusive name — one word and one number — arrives in theaters during the summer with a relatively modest budget and special effects that, on the screen, look far bigger than their cost. There’s not a single movie star in it, though, because the project’s biggest name is its producer. The movie is called…”District 9.” Or perhaps “Super 8“? Paramount Pictures  executives are certainly hoping that Friday’s release of ”Super 8,” from director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, will start a success story not unlike 2009′s “District 9,” the nimble Peter Jackson-produced enterprise that posted an opening weekend of $37 million in domestic box office and went on to an Academy Award nomination for best picture. John Horn of the Los Angeles Times takes a look at the commercial aspirations and challenges of this new film; here’s an excerpt […]

ON THE SET: “THE A-TEAM” Here’s more Hero Complex coverage of “The A-Team” from Chris Lee’s visit to the set in Vancouver in December. Just like those prawn aliens in ”District 9,” Sharlto Copley has a strange, long-hidden secret in his South African past: It turns out the actor may have been the biggest “A-Team” fan in his native country. “It was my favorite show when I was a kid,” Copley said of the NBC commando series that is now the basis of a feature film opening June 11 with Copley as one of its stars. “For the first two years it was on, I wasn’t allowed to watch; my parents thought it was too violent. “But I sneak-watched a few episodes. And I used to tape record the audio.” And, guess what, Copley’s favorite character on the TV series just happened to be Capt. […]

As we reflect on the glory (or the tedium) of the 82nd Academy Awards, here’s an imaginary visit to a Hollywood where movie posters live up to the high standards of truth in advertising: These are part of great collection cooked up by the jokers at College Humor, you should check out the entire gallery right here… And this one may be my favorite of the fanboy-leaning films in the mocking collection…    – Geoff Boucher  Images: CollegeHumor.com MORE RANDOM SILLINESS Top 10 vintage Batman toys … including a somewhat lewd watergun  VIDEO: Iron Man versus Bruce Lee Captain America and Spider-Man meet … Abe Lincoln? VIDEO: “SNL” flashback: Superhero party circa 1979 George Lucas at 3 a.m.? Think Jar Jar Binks rubberwear VIDEO: “Watchmen,” now Saturday morning safe

“Avatar” has become the highest grossing movie of all time, surpassing the Oscar-winning film “Titanic.” Will “Avatar” make a big mark on Oscar night too?  We talked earlier to Rebecca Keegan, the author of “The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron,” and here she weighs in on why this could be the year a science-fiction film wins the Oscar for best picture. — Jevon Phillips Slasher films, pot comedies, anything starring The Rock — there are some movies that no one expects to win Academy Awards. And traditionally, Oscar’s no-fly list has included science fiction. Academy Award-winning films are supposed to be serious, weighty, historical — if your movie takes place in a galaxy far, far away, well, you can leave your tuxedo in the closet until it’s time to accept a somewhat less prestigious prize shaped like a rocket […]

NEILL BLOMKAMP INTERVIEW: PART 3 “District 9” got a best-picture nomination from the Producers Guild Assn., it was announced Tuesday, and the sci-fi film remains a wild card in the awards season. That’s music to the ears of Neill Blomkamp, the director who put himself on the map with the intriguing sci-fi tale based in his native South Africa. Here’s Part 3 of my interview with Blomkamp, whom I sat down with during his recent visit to Los Angeles. We began this segment by talking about casting and Blomkamp’s enthusiasm for using lesser-known actors such as Sharlto Copley, the “District 9″ star photographed below (on the left) with the director. (This Part 3 of the interview; read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.)   GB: What did the “District 9″ experience teach you about casting? NB: I’m not particularly […]

Nobody spends more time covering the trophy season in Hollywood and all of its subplots than Tom O’Neil over at The Envelope. Here’s his analysis of this morning’s nominations announcement from the Producers Guild of America, which had a major tilt toward the fanboy universe.    The Producers Guild of America just announced best picture nominees, which follow the Oscars by expanding its contenders’ list to 10. Included are obvious front-runners “Avatar,” “Up in the Air” and “Inglourious Basterds,” but curious omissions include a few films with high Oscar hopes like serious artsy fare “A Serious Man” and “The Messenger” and comedies “The Hangover,” “It’s Complicated” and “Julie & Julia.” The latter PGA snubs aren’t too surprising. Most award groups, sad to say, laugh off comedies, although PGA did nominate “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” when it was spurned by […]

NEILL BLOMKAMP INTERVIEW: PART 2 Neill Blomkamp established himself as a filmmaker to watch in 2009 with ”District 9,” a film that wrapped satire, social commentary and gripping action within a sci-fi tale that looked far more expensive than its $30-million budget. I sat down with Blomkamp in downtown Los Angeles recently to talk about his future, both short-term and long-term. It was clear that science fiction is his focus, but he also spoke like a restless director who is also intrigued by films of combat and even comedy. (This is Part 2 of the interview, you can read Part 1 right here. Check back for Part 3 tomorrow.) GB: What’s next for you? NB: I know what I’m doing now. QED paid for “District 9” and Bill Block the producer put it together. And now MRC is another finance group and they’re putting together the cash for my next film based […]

NEILL BLOMKAMP INTERVIEW: PART 1 The surprise film of 2009 was “District 9,” the $30 million sci-fi tale that was directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp, the Johannesburg native who celebrated his 30th birthday the month after the movie opened wide. “District 9″  met with strong success both critically and commercially and it’s still being discovered after arriving this month on DVD and Blu-ray. I sat down with Blomkamp at Pete’s Cafe in downtown Los Angeles during the filmmaker’s recent visit to Southern California and we talked about the movie and his surprising plans for the future, which, he says, won’t include any big-budget sci-fi epics. This is Part 1 of the interview: GB: “District 9” arrived at theaters as a rarity among science-fiction and horror films these days for the simple fact that it wasn’t a sequel, a remake of an already-popular film or an […]

The Golden Globe nominations will be announced tomorrow and this Hollywood awards season arrives with some interesting subplots for fans of fanboy fare. Steven Zeitchek and Rachel Abramowitz, two frequent contributors to the Hero Complex, have a story suggesting that, for fanboys films, there’s still a force field surrounding the best-picture category of Oscars.   Spock and Kirk may have to wait for their Oscar. When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this summer that it was doubling its best picture nominees to 10, the move was seen by many as a way to boost television ratings by bringing more populist films into the fold. The movie world reveled in the possibility that films far from the bleak tones of “No Country for Old Men” or “Million Dollar Baby,” which have won best picture in recent years, […]