Apologies to you, dear reader and especially Morgan Habedank, once again, for the long delay between posts. Picking up and moving to Cambridge for a summer of study kept us from from making our regular posts--to say nothing of the jet-lag.
For your reading pleasure, another review by our well-reviewed guest contributor, Mr. Habedank.
District B-13 Review
The public has spoken regarding Cars. After a solid opening weekend at the box office, attendance fell by 44% even though release was expanded to three additional theaters. A drop of over 40% has historically indicated that a film does not have “legs.” It appears that Cars will ultimately gross roughly the same as the much less heralded and hyped Over the Hedge which was released by DreamWorks Animation a few weeks prior to Cars. This is especially troubling for Pixar due to the huge marketing spend in comparison to that of DreamWorks. Hopefully it will exceed expectations on DVD to make up for not meeting box office expectations.
Last weekend I ventured to the Arc Light in Hollywood to watch District B-13. As a side note, while walking to the theater after purchasing my Cherry Coke I bumped into Bill Maher who was quite affable. We exchanged pleasantries and continued to our respective shows. Now back to the topic at hand.
District B-13 was recommended to me by two of my friends. Their recommendation can best be summed up with the following quote: “Dude, it is the best action movie I have seen in years!” Usually when I hear things like this I dismiss them with out much thought and carry on with my life. Especially when such statements are related to French indie films (District B-13 is distributed by Magnolia). However, both friends were so animated I decided to give it a chance. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed. District B-13 was hands down the best action movie I have seen in years. It may even be the best movie I have seen this year. The action sequences were phenomenal. The stunts were actually performed by the actors themselves who were cast largely for their proficiency in the underground sport of “parkour.” The action sequences coupled with a pounding original techno score and masterful editing combined to keep me literally on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
What truly made this film excellent in my opinion though was the writing. The script was simple and straight forward. There were no holes and no ridiculous “metaphors” were used to bludgeon the viewer with the writer/director’s political opinions. District B-13 is the anti- V for Vendetta. The most refreshing part of the script was the treatment of the two “heroes.” Breaking from the traditional Hollywood anti-hero who is tragically flawed in some way, the heroes were actual heroes who did what they did for the sole reason of wanting to better the world for those around them. Leito fights the drug dealers because he wishes to help his neighbors. Nothing more and nothing less. Damien is a police officer for the sole reason of believing in the law and the ideal that the law espouses. Leito and Damien truly are heroes worthy of the title.
District B-13 is only in limited release. Catch it at your local Cineplex or art-house theatre if you can. Catch it on Netflix in a few months if you must. Either way, you will not be disappointed. District B-13 will capture you both visually and emotionally and leave you breathless and ready to save the world.
PS. Stay for the credits even though they are in French. The song they play is awesome
2 comments:
Le Parkour, aka Urban Freestyle, it's the ideal sport for those spastic types suffering from ADHD.
I went to see this movie last week and loved every minute. Usually I leave a movie reflecting on the weaknesses of the plot or slow, time-filling segments; but, I could not recall any flaws in this movie.(I wish I could have said the same for Superman Returns). District B13 was the only movie I have not regretted paying the $12 to see in NYC over the last year.
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