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Defiance - 2008  *****

Brilliantly directed by Edward Zwick, Defiance truly lives up to its title.  Taking place in the German-occupied Eastern Europe, the story tells of the unyielding defiance of man when faced with the annihilation of freedom.  Daniel Craig stars as one of the intrepid Bielski brothers who helps save large numbers of fleeing Jews and hides them in the woods.  They are forced to live in makeshift homes because they fear the discovery of their existence.  The Bielski brothers lead the people into building a community, a degraded livelihood, with foraged food and weapons.  The three brothers, Tuvia, Zus, and Asael all exemplify different personalities that throughout the movie will develop and conflict, all in the struggle to survive.  This epic tale of human vitality proves that when our legs are broken, not only will we find a way to stand, but we will also strive to run.  

I was completely captivated by all 137 minutes of sheer Defiance.  It completely consumed me.  I'd say by far, this is one of the best movies of its genre (antisemitism,  holocaust, Nazi occupations).   One thing that struck me about Defiance is that although it is a war movie,  the story heavily plays on the theme of sociology.  You can see the manifestation of human behavior when forced into such close existence with others.  I watched this movie many times already, and yet it never fails to strike that sensitive cord with me. The trailer itself is already intense, thundering with the orchestrated styling of Immediate music, entitled Prometheus Rising. 

             


District 9 - 2009

A ridiculously [what's a juicier word for "good"...] GLORIOUS movie!  Remember that time last year when you were at the theaters and you had to go use the restroom?  Ok, now do  you remember right before you walked in, there was a sign on the door that said "FOR HUMANS ONLY" with a picture of a weird silhouette that had  a slash through it?  And you remembered thinking, "What the shenanigans?"... well that was actually the marketing campaign to promote District 9.  It makes sense now doesn't it? District 9 was actually considered a sleeper, since it was a low budget and not a lot of people knew about it.  I had seen a short preview for the movie, and I thought it looked pretty unconventional and the muddled looking plot further induced my curiosity. It appeared as a mock documentary on xenophobia, the usage of racial slurs, corporates, and human behavior.  I enjoyed its freshness as well, considering the story did not take place in the United States (like all alien movies), but in South Africa.  

I absolutely loved this movie because it shows some of the human sides we rarely like to admit and it really emphasizes the idea that just because we are human does not mean we are humane.  District 9 is a very well written movie and I think it can make alien lovers out of non alien lovers...whatever that means.  This is NOT your typical alien movie.   There is also a very interesting irony in this movie that you will just have to watch to find out what it is!  A reel-listed five stars!