In District 9, do you think Christopher Johnson was actually a human before?
(KINDA SPOILER)
-In the movie, he demonstrates behavior that resembles being human. Such as knowing the term “eviction” when the other Aliens did not, and showing compassion for his son. There are other examples, but I think it’s pretty possible that he was human before.
SPOILERS:
He had the command pod hidden under his shack. He was either THE leader of the Prawns, or one of them. He was more technical-oriented than the run-of-the-mill workers, who were not technically-minded.
CANVAS BURNSIDE BURNOUT TEE
3.6 oz., 55% Cotton/45% Polyester 36 singles jersey.
Ribbed neckband.
Black and white color ways are union dye, giving a solid look.
Asphalt and Steel Blue are cross-dyed, giving garment a two-tone look...
District Oscar
Terri Thatchel and Neill Blomkamp who have received an Academy Award nomination for best Adapted Screenplay for the movie District 9. Alive in Joberg by Neill Blomkamp Spyfilms (District 9 director)
District 9: Blu-ray Collector's Set with MNU Vest & Production Notes [Blu-ray]
$399.99
Blu-ray Collector's Set includes replica MNU vest and production notes!
From producer Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and director Neill Blomkamp comes a startlingly original science fiction thriller that "soars on the imagination of its creators" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). With stunning special effects and gritty realism, the film plunges us into a world where the aliens have l...
Ben 10 is the hit Cartoon Network show about a boy who can transform himself into different aliens to fight evil. The toys accompanying the series are one of the hottest boys’ toys brands of the moment.
Part of this boys’ toys range are Ben 10 games and here is a short summary of the top 8 choices available:
Alien Force Quickshot Game (RRP £17) – this is a popular two player, battling game. In the middle of the board you place your alien pieces and you use your hand controller (one at each end) to shoot marbles hoping to hit all of your opponents pieces down before they shoot yours. Many of the popular aliens feature as pieces in the game.
Total Transformation Game (RRP £10) – just like Ben in the show, players get told by the 3D Omnitrix which alien they turn into. As all the aliens have different powers, you may be lucky and find yourself transformed into the right alien to defeat the villain you just met, but you might not! If you win the battle, you capture the villain and get to continue with your adventure.
Aliens v Villains Game (RRP £8) – this is another game of battling villains as you move around a board, but here you can enjoy the game as a single player or play with a friend . The Omnitrix card dictates the alien you transform into as you would expect with any Ben 10 challenge and you have to beat at least four villains to win.
DVD Game (RRP £13) – you can play as 10 of Ben’s aliens in this DVD challenge where you attempt to defeat the evil villains in numerous tests of skill. Each alien has a mini-game based on their powers. Working through the game you acquire extra powers which will hopefully stand you in good stead to defeat Vilgax, the ultimate villain. The tests you encounter are completely random so each time you play you get a different game.  You also get to see clips from the TV show as you play.
Top Trumps Card Game (RRP £4) – Ben 10 gets his own set of this ever popular card game.  There are cards for all of the popular TV show characters and players strive to beat their opponent with their card’s strongest power. The Ben 10 powers you compete with include strength and speed. You win your opponents card if your card ‘trumps’ theirs within the power category chosen. This easy to play card game has great artwork and can be easily carried on trips to keep your Ben 10 fans happy anywhere.
Guessing Game (RRP £13) – this game is just like Guess Who but for Ben 10 characters. Each player needs to guess which character their opponent has selected by asking questions and eliminating the other choices. There are 24 characters to guess from.
Memory Game (RRP £7) – this is just a matching pairs game but with nice thick cards, great artwork and easy rules, it is ideal for younger players. All of the favourite Ben 10 characters are included on the 72 picture cards.
Puzzles (from RRP £3) – there are numerous 100 piece puzzle packs available featuring different aliens from the series.
Chloe Alice Wilson is the founder of Best Ben 10 Toys.co.uk – an independent review website of everything Ben 10. She writes articles on many topics related to toys. Please visit her website for the latest news on the Ben 10 Watch toys or the new Battle Strikers Battling Tops range.
Jack's Big Music Show: Let's Rock
$2.97
Jack's Big Music Show is a Nickelodeon television program that features puppetry, music, and guest performances by popular children's music artists. Puppets Jack, his friend Mary, and dog Mel have a special clubhouse where they meet to make music together and where visitors often stop in for some musical fun and a little help solving problems. The barbershop-inspired Schwartzman (puppet) Quartet c...
The Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.
Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.
[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].
THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY
THE HERO’S JOURNEY:
a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).
d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story. This is why stories such as Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), Midnight Cowboy (1969), American Beauty (1999), The Graduate (1967) and many others (all deconstructed at the URL below) appear to be different but are all constructed, almost sequence by sequence, in the same way.
and more…
*****HeroÂ’s Journey: Seizing the Sword*****
The detective hero meets the guardian of the treasure (sword). And deceives him in order to learn more about it (take it from him). In The Maltese Falcon (1939), Sam pretends heÂ’s interested in the Falcon to find out how much itÂ’s worth. The value of the treasure becomes apparent. The hero commits a deceit that enhances his threat to the dark lord.
*****Physical Separation*****
The Hero makes a Physical Separation from the Belly of the Whale and to the Trials Transformation. Characteristics include:
Conscious Decision. The Hero often consciously decides to leave the Belly of the Whale. In Thelma and Louise (1991), Louise asks Thelma is she wants to go to Mexico. She says yes. In Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Lawrence has to go back into the desert to rescue the fallen Arab. In Dances with Wolves (1990), John Dunbar travels to the Indian village. In Raging Bull (1980), Jake has a baby and puts on weight.
Forced Out or Pursued Out. The Hero may be forced out. In Star Wars (1977), Luke et al blast off Mos Isley – pursued by storm troopers. In The Godfather (1972), Michael Corleone bids farewell to Sonny, Tessio, Paulie et al and leaves, out of necessity, for Sicily.
*****Romantic Challenge*****
The Hero’s Romantic Challenge is important. It is most unusual to find that the Hero (or a major character) has no romantic interest. As such, we learn a little more about the Romantic Challenge than most other characters. This characters’ challenges are most often part of any subplot.
Ordinary World. In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), we meet Marion in Nepal.
Capabilities. In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Marion out drinks the Nepalese men.
Challenges. In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Marion refers to being left behind. In Spiderman 2 (2004), MJ wants to become an actress.
*****Advanced Learning and Changing*****
Advanced Competencies. This is where the Hero et al advance on their training (Middle Cave of the First Threshold). In Spartacus (1960), the slaves are well trained and dangerous now. In The Matrix (1999), Neo is impressed that he learns Kung Fu quickly. He wants more.
The Hero is still learning at this stage and is still passive. In The Matrix (1999), this is where Neo practices his new found martial arts with Morpheus.
*****Leaving behind a tangible of the Old Self*****
The Complete 188 stage HeroÂ’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/
The Managing Creativity and Innovation MBA dissertation, DIY creativity Audit, Powerpoint presentation and Good Idea generator software can be found athttp://www.managing-creativity.com/
You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.
Alien/Predator Total Destruction Box Set
Jack's Big Music Show: Let's Rock
$2.97
Includes the episodes "Groundhog Day," "Jack & the Beanstalk," "How Mel Got His Groove Back," and "Little Bad Wolf." 95 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo....
Nominated for 6 Emmys and 3 Hugo Awards in its five-season run, Babylon 5 changed the landscape of the TV science fiction series genre. Following on the heels of hit series such as Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5 is unrivaled by any of its peers in its application of special effects. The brainchild of J. Michael Straczynski (writer for such shows as Murder She Wrote and Walker, Texas Ranger), the hour-long sci-fi drama series breaks new ground by deploying a five-season storyline that follows the outline of a traditional novel. As such, Babylon 5 is more like a mini-series that lasts five years instead of the usual three to five nights. And also unlike its predecessors, the series showcases original advanced technologies, believable alien characters (who speak alien and not English), and boasts of superb costume and makeup. Premiering in mid-season 1994, Babylon 5 established a solid audience and continues to inspire new generations of fans via syndicated reruns on cable…
Babylon 5 follows the daily events that transpire on Babylon 5, a five-mile long space station from the year 2258. Built by the Earth Alliance, Babylon 5 orbits a lone planet in interplanetary (neutral) space. The setting for an Earthling military post and a transportation hub for businessmen and general travelers, the space station’s primary purpose is to provide a safe haven for the airing of differences between the alien races. Similar in function to the United Nations, Babylon 5 is tasked with preserving the peace between the five primary space-traveling civilizations – the Earth Alliance, the Mimbari Federation, the Centauri Republic, the Narn Regime, and the Vorlon Empire. Headed by Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O’Hare), and later by Capt. John J. Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner), Babylon 5 is home to almost 300,000 humans and their alien counterparts. With so many confined to such a small area, the space station is ripe for internal struggle, racial conflict, regular cast members’ personal problems, and showdowns between various political interests. It’s this intricate and diverse storyboard, coupled with amazing visual effects, that makes Babylon 5 one of the most successful sci-fi TV shows in recent memory…
The Babylon 5 DVD (Season 1) features a number of exciting episodes including the series premiere “Midnight on the Firing Line” in which the crew of Babylon 5 awake to find that the Narn have launched an attack on a Centauri colony. The event drives a wedge between Londo and G’Kar. Meanwhile, a number of attacks on ships around Babylon 5 by space pirates has become a rampant problem… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “The War Prayer” in which Babylon 5 is plagued by a racist group of humans who attack and brand alien residents, and “Babylon Squared” in which Babylon 4 reappears in the same coordinates in which it disappeared several years earlier, prompting the crew of Babylon 5 to arrange an evacuation of its predecessor while they try to discover the cause…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Babylon 5 (Season 1) DVD:
Episode 1 (Midnight on the Firing Line) Air Date: 01-26-1994
Episode 2 (Soul Hunter) Air Date: 02-02-1994
Episode 3 (Born to the Purple) Air Date: 02-09-1994
Episode 4 (Infection) Air Date: 02-16-1994
Episode 5 (The Parliament of Dreams) Air Date: 02-23-1994
Episode 6 (Mind War) Air Date: 03-02-1994
Episode 7 (The War Prayer) Air Date: 03-09-1994
Episode 8 (And the Sky Full of Stars) Air Date: 03-16-1994
Episode 9 (Deathwalker) Air Date: 04-20-1994
Episode 10 (Believers) Air Date: 04-27-1994
Episode 11 (Survivors) Air Date: 05-04-1994
Episode 12 (By Any Means Necessary) Air Date: 05-11-1994
Episode 13 (Signs and Portents) Air Date: 05-18-1994
Episode 14 (TKO) Air Date: 05-25-1994
Episode 15 (Grail) Air Date: 07-06-1994
Episode 16 (Eyes) Air Date: 07-13-1994
Episode 17 (Legacy) Air Date: 07-20-1994
Episode 18 (A Voice in the Wilderness: Part 1) Air Date: 07-27-1994
Episode 19 (A Voice in the Wilderness: Part 2) Air Date: 08-03-1994
Episode 20 (Babylon Squared) Air Date: 08-10-1994
Episode 21 (The Quality of Mercy) Air Date: 08-17-1994
Episode 22 (Chrysalis) Air Date: 10-26-1994
About the Author:
Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Babylon 5 (DVD).
Jack's Big Music Show: Let's Rock
$2.97
Jack's Big Music Show is a Nickelodeon television program that features puppetry, music, and guest performances by popular children's music artists. Puppets Jack, his friend Mary, and dog Mel have a special clubhouse where they meet to make music together and where visitors often stop in for some musical fun and a little help solving problems. The barbershop-inspired Schwartzman (puppet) Quartet c...
LazyTown - Surprise Santa
$16.99
This second DVD in the LazyTown lineup is not solely a Christmas collection, but rather an all-seasons offering of four episodes from the hugely popular Nick Jr. series. The Icelandic import blends live action, puppets, and CGI animation to teach positive lifestyle choices among the preschool set. Esteemed athlete and entertainer Magnús Scheving is the show's creator who provides the voice of sup...
You would be hard pressed to find anyone today who hasn’t heard the story of Transformers. Transformers is a line of toys, Marvel Comics series, TV cartoon and movie blockbuster created in the early 80s. The story of Transformers was first told is a series of Marvel comics written in support of Takara and Hasbro’s new line of shape changing toys. Other than in the comics, the Transformers story has been told in a popular 80s TV cartoon and two movies one as recently as 2007.
The basic premise behind the Transformers story is the war between two alien robotic lifeforms known as Transformers and living on a planet called Cybetron. The two sides known as the Autobots and Decepticons fight for power in a war that has lasted for millions of years. The leader of the Autobots who are considered the good side is the well known Optimus Prime; on the other hand, the evil Decepticons are led by Megatron. What sets the robots in Transformers apart from other fictional characters is their ability to morph between a humanoid form and other forms including automobiles, planes, and ships.
Compared to the Marvel Comics telling the original Transformers story, most people are familiar with it from the 80s cartoon. The cartoon tells the story of Transformers starting with how Optimus Prime came to existence and became the leader of the Autobots in an effort to defeat the evil Decepticons and end their efforts to control Cybetron and the rest of the universe. During a battle between the two fractions millions of years ago and before man inhabited the Earth, the two bots found themselves in a status of stasis near one of Earth’s volcanoes. A good 4 million years passed before the bots were freed; according to the Transformers story, they immediately resumed their war but this time on Earth. During the four years that the cartoon was shown on TV, the epic battle between the two Transformers sides is told from beginning to end. The Transformers story is very complex but interesting and entertaining and as such it is worth watching once more on DVD available today.
In the recent 2007 blockbuster movie directed by Michael Bay in 2007, the Transformers story is told a bit differently. It starts once again well in the past. The center of interest for the two sides is a powerful device known as the Allspark. The Allspark can give the bots infinite power. The Autobots hide the Allspark on Earth hoping to keep it safe. But as the Transformers story goes, Megatron discovers their plans and comes to the planet to steal it. To make a long story short, Megatron creates a map of the Allspark’s hidden location and then transmits that to the Decepticons who arrive on Earth to retrieve the device. As a result a war breaks out on the planet with a few key humans who get caught in the middle. Clearly this telling of the Transformers story is mostly re-written to suite the feature film length.
The story of Transformers will be told many more in the future, but regardless of which version of the Transformers story you prefer, it will always be one of the most exciting science fiction stories told. I am certain that every hardcore fan has his favorite version of the Transformers story. You can relive the story of Transformer by owning your own copy of the collectors Transformers DVD box set.
Going going gone… Get the rare collectors edition Transformers DVD Metal Box Set. Complete seasons of the Transformers cartoon series 1 through 4 on 15 high quality DVDs, 5.1 Dolby surround sound. Also get the Transformers movie, collector’s card, poster and more. Get your set at http://www.TransformersDVDSet.com
My DVD Collection…..
Jack's Big Music Show: Let's Rock
$2.97
Includes the episodes "Groundhog Day," "Jack & the Beanstalk," "How Mel Got His Groove Back," and "Little Bad Wolf." 95 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo....
LazyTown - Surprise Santa
$16.99
This second DVD in the LazyTown lineup is not solely a Christmas collection, but rather an all-seasons offering of four episodes from the hugely popular Nick Jr. series. The Icelandic import blends live action, puppets, and CGI animation to teach positive lifestyle choices among the preschool set. Esteemed athlete and entertainer Magnús Scheving is the show's creator who provides the voice of sup...
I feel that “Event Horizon” is severely underrated. The film wasn’t successful at the box office, and I was actually lucky enough to catch it at the cinema when it was in it’s first run before it disappeared quickly thereafter. Aside from a dreadful ending, this film contains some of the most deeply atmospheric and terrifying moments put in to a sci-fi/thriller for quite some time. Production design is first rate – all the ships feel and look very real and capture a very strong science-fiction feel (kind of the way the early Alien films did – but obviously not as good as those). It’s actually a decent directing job by Paul Anderson (the director of such ‘classics’ as “Mortal Kombat” and “Soldier”… enough said). It’s a shame this film didn’t get the recognition it deserved, but at least on DVD format, it can still be enjoyed for what it is – a chilling, terrifying haunted house film set on a spaceship with some superb sci-fi images and production design.
There are some high quality actors in this film and they mostly do a decent job but nothing remarkable. This film is more about the terror and the production design. Laurence Fishburne is particularly good, as are most of the crew. Sam Neill is a bit of a let down – he just doesn’t ever seem comfortable or natural, especially as he becomes the personification of evil on the ship by film’s end. Maybe the material just didn’t work him. The music is chilling and well composed… except for the opening and end credits which has a bizarre techno dance beat which is completely out of whack with the rest of the film (what was going on there?!). There’s an attempt to go into Exorcist territory in some moments, particularly towards the end, and there’s a bit of blood spilt. I’m not a fan of the latter but it should please the horror buffs.
I’ve already said it but I’ll say it again; this film has a dreadful ending. After a fabulous build-up of tension and anxiety (combined with some very atmospheric space scenes), it turns out that the terror comes from the spaceship having gone to hell and back. That’s it. The ship could have gone anywhere in the universe and it goes to hell. How original. Maybe some people will go for it but I felt it wasn’t interesting enough (and definitely not original), and when the big reveal is made, it’s so overblown, over-acted and over the top that it’s kind of silly. A good, solid ending is a must for a film and it’s amazing that this unimaginative, overblown ending still doesn’t manage to kill the film. The rest of the film is of high quality and absolutely worth the ride.
A very solid, quality film that delivers on almost every aspect of the sci-fi, thriller and horror genres.
Alex DeMattia is the lead DVD reviewer at the film/DVD review web site All About Movies.net – He is also an administrator of the web site http://www.approachingsexywomen.com
If you enjoy reading about mysterious revelations like Alien DVD Box Set you will find many more fascinating and thought-provoking stories in Project Blue Book below:
