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Okay, let's get the fanboy stuff out of the way.
Sure Star Trek and Watchmen got the geeks all excited - but it was a couple of relatively low concept sci fi films which really got me fired up thanks to their creativity.
So the first Dazzle awards go to:
District 9 - read the
District
9 review here!
This Neil Blomkamp directed effort (with a little help from Peter
Jackson) came out of nowhere. Shot in South Africa, the tale of
Sharlto Copley's white collar worker who has to move out the aliens
who've been living in slums since arriving here 20 years ago, was
just stunning. With wondrous effects of a spaceship hanging from
the sky in Johannesburg, it made the alien idea a gritty reality
but never used the concept to cheesy effect. The only downer about
the film is that its originality and box office success mean a
sequel is inevitable - my plea: Don't.
Moon: Read the
Moon review here!
It was shown at the International Film Festival to sold out crowds,
and has been receiving accolades ever since then. The Sam Rockwell
vehicle about a lunar base employee who finds something amiss as he
nears the end of his three year contract up in space was blessed
with great sets (reminiscent of 2001), a stunning performance from
Rockwell and an intelligent human script. Although it's set in
space, it's really a look at the human condition and the big
questions of life.
The great thing about both these films is that, admittedly, they're both sci-fi but they're blessed with an intelligence and humanity of story telling which make them accessible to all. While Trek relaunched the flaccid franchise for a new generation, these two smaller films demonstrated why a good strong story could hold hope within a genre that's been mocked for too long.
Well, that's the geek stuff out of the way - what about the others?
Docos had a good year as well - but there are three which stand head and shoulders above the rest.
FIND OUT WHICH THOSE WERE TOMORROW AS THE FIRST EVER
DAZZLE AND DAZZIE AWARDS CONTINUE ON TVNZ.CO.NZ!
