I went to see Neill Blokamp’s film “District 9” last night and really enoyed it. It’s based on a short he directed back in 2005 called “Alive in Joburg” which is a story about aliens whose ships come down and hover over Johannesburg. Blokamp took advantage of the larger budget and feature-length to dive into a storyline that I really didn’t anticipate from looking at the original short or the trailer. While some of the disturbing imagery in the film makes this a little unfriendly for kids, it’s well worth a watch.
While you’re at it, why not check out another one of Blokamp’s shorts, “Tempbot” from 2006. It follows the life of a robot brought into an office from a temp agency and the drudgery and heartbreak that ensues. Neill’s really nailed integrating special effects imagery into a documentary style.