RAKKA - first of Blomkamp's Oats short films

[Shroom Man 777]

God I love Blomkamp.



I always wanted to do a science fiction invasion piece that had direct parallels with an occupying force in a country, like the Germans in France, or Americans in Iraq.

There's these levels of armed troops that are walking through neighborhoods, and well-built buildings, and local politicians have been turned or manipulated. There is a lot of stuff in there that I felt was really interesting, and to look at it from a different point of view is really cool. That's where the seed was from.

Blomkamp on [youtube=https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/14/1580 ... -interview]The Verge[/youtube].

[Joun_Lord]

Generic vaguely sci-fi soldiers in urban ruins covered in grafitti dealing with some political or social allegory? Yeah its certainly Blokamp. I enjoy the mans films, Chappie being the exception, but he definitely has a pattern when it comes to his stuff.

Still I enjoyed this even if it lacked, or maybe I missed him, Sharlto Copley.

[FaxModem1]

Meh. Nice to see Sigourney Weaver in another science fiction work. But this didn't really grab me.

[Shroom Man 777]

New one's up! Just find it!

Generic vaguely sci-fi soldiers in urban ruins covered in grafitti dealing with some political or social allegory? Yeah its certainly Blokamp. I enjoy the mans films, Chappie being the exception, but he definitely has a pattern when it comes to his stuff.

Still I enjoyed this even if it lacked, or maybe I missed him, Sharlto Copley.

He needs a writer and he needs to start doing things differently.

But yeah, I think he's really helped by the presence of Sharlto Copley hamming it up, or any other degenerate South Africans (like HIPPO in Chappie... and DIE ANTWOORD).

I loved Chappie.

I like how Blomkamp, for all his repetitiveness, is an indictment on "normal" straight-laced sci-fi.

He should guest-direct an episode of Expanse. Where a protomolecule monster gets adopted by these belta gangster rappers.

[FaxModem1]

I loved Chappie.

Personally I disliked the film for trying to make us feel bad about an abusive parent getting killed, and never calling him out for his behavior.

[Joun_Lord]

He needs a writer and he needs to start doing things differently.

But yeah, I think he's really helped by the presence of Sharlto Copley hamming it up, or any other degenerate South Africans (like HIPPO in Chappie... and DIE ANTWOORD).

I loved Chappie.

I like how Blomkamp, for all his repetitiveness, is an indictment on "normal" straight-laced sci-fi.

He should guest-direct an episode of Expanse. Where a protomolecule monster gets adopted by these belta gangster rappers.

Yeah, he needs to step out of his comfort zone a bit. Nothing wrong with working with what you love but it gets a bit repetitive. Hopefully with Oats he starts experimenting with stuff other then urban near future allegory sci-fi.

Mind you, I enjoy that shit usually. But it gets old after awhile. Even I who wears the same style watch for two decades and continuously ebays new pairs of the same ancient boots I've been wearing most of my life want new stuff.

I didn't actually like Chappie myself. I can see how people could but Die Antwoord playing themselves who are some people who can't act and I find annoying really grated on me. They weren't exactly sympathetic characters either, nobody but the robot was sympathetic and him only barely. The story itself really didn't grab me either. Everything else he's done I enjoyed, alot of people give Elysium shit but I enjoyed it even if the message atleast to me was confusing. That sci-fi'd AKM used by Matt Damon was probably the sexiest weapon I've ever seen (and one of the few times I can remember a movie showing an AK jam other then Back to the Future) and Copley was completely and utterly awesome.

Overall Blomkamp can make some good stuff but yeah, he needs a writer or something to smooth out his edges.

Still sad he ain't doing an Aliens movie.

[Shroom Man 777]

I loved Chappie.

Personally I disliked the film for trying to make us feel bad about an abusive parent getting killed, and never calling him out for his behavior.

You mean Deon? (Ninja didn't die and he was quite a dickbag... Yolandi died but she was kinder?) I guess the crazy thing is that he was the least abusive person amongst the meatbags there. Plus Deon's abuse was from both his "science-y" pushing of boundaries without being prepared for it (the classic Ian Malcolm reproach)... and because he genuinely wasn't sure what was happening AND people around him were waving guns and corporate authority in his face?

I liked how everyone in Chappie was a moronic degenerate. I found it charming.

Yeah, he needs to step out of his comfort zone a bit. Nothing wrong with working with what you love but it gets a bit repetitive. Hopefully with Oats he starts experimenting with stuff other then urban near future allegory sci-fi.

The problem is with Oats the short disjointed format will do the opposite, it's just like his previous teaser things, he won't learn coherent writing. Sure he'll notice the repetitiveness and go for "different" kinds of things but I don't know if he'll learn to develop... making cohesive coherent plots.

The Weird Vietnam War one, FIREBASE, is even loopier and messier than RAKKA. It makes RAKKA look like Aliens lol.

I didn't actually like Chappie myself. I can see how people could but Die Antwoord playing themselves who are some people who can't act and I find annoying really grated on me. They weren't exactly sympathetic characters either, nobody but the robot was sympathetic and him only barely. The story itself really didn't grab me either.

I think I enjoyed it because I come from the third world. I think that made me more-tickled by the loony nature of it.

[Q99]

I too think Blomkamp's a good idea person and the general themes of his movies tend to be quite worthwhile, but he needs a partner to help sharpen him up.

[Joun_Lord]

The problem is with Oats the short disjointed format will do the opposite, it's just like his previous teaser things, he won't learn coherent writing. Sure he'll notice the repetitiveness and go for "different" kinds of things but I don't know if he'll learn to develop... making cohesive coherent plots.

The Weird Vietnam War one, FIREBASE, is even loopier and messier than RAKKA. It makes RAKKA look like Aliens lol.

His problem is I think he has ideas both on the sci-fi side and the allegory side but has trouble mashing them together. His ideas are like mashing two foods together (something I find personally repellent, food should not touch other food except in your belly), sometimes it works like mashing a hamburger and a pizza together and sometimes doesn't as well like mashing a taco and a hot dog but either way the end result is a mess even when its tastes good.

I'd hope with his experimenting he could find a way for his ideas synergize better, try to overcome his shortcomings as a writer. I'm still going to enjoy his stuff either way probably but how it stands now I enjoy it more for the interesting visuals and action then whatever allegory he's trying to tell. Like with Elysium, nobody seemed sure what he was implying. Immigration good? Immigration bad? Rich people are bastards? Poor people are destructive parasites? Who knows, some watch the movie to see Copley and Damon fighting with katanas and exoskeletons.

I think I enjoyed it because I come from the third world. I think that made me more-tickled by the loony nature of it.

Hey I'm technically from a 3rd world country...kinda. WV is practically America's own personal internal 3rd world country with all the rampant poverty, crumbling infrastructure, poor education, joblessness, massive drug problems, large corporations fucking over the people and the land, and a funny sounding cultural minority everyone assumes is stupid because they talk funny that you'd expect from a 3rd world country.

Really though, its probably just my personal tastes. Die Antwoord was bizarre in a way I did not find appealing whatsoever. They are like the Tim and Eric of the musical world, some people love them while others can't find the appeal with them whatsoever. I happen to fall within the category that doesn't find either enjoyable. Though to be fair to them my musical tastes and my comedy tastes aren't exactly the same as most peoples.

[Shroom Man 777]

Really though, its probably just my personal tastes. Die Antwoord was bizarre in a way I did not find appealing whatsoever. They are like the Tim and Eric of the musical world, some people love them while others can't find the appeal with them whatsoever. I happen to fall within the category that doesn't find either enjoyable. Though to be fair to them my musical tastes and my comedy tastes aren't exactly the same as most peoples.

They're dregs, that's why I love em.

Anyway... uh huh, I think if Blomkamp could actually write plot, then we'd see some subtlety and have the narrative convey things rather than his very... in your face way of showing things. Which is why his allegories become tired. Nuance is hard to convey when one just uses visuals of suffering, poverty and a bunch of gunfights and explosions and plasma rifles.

[Cykeisme]

Was a good watch.

FIREBASE had some nice freaky body horror visuals though. The beginning was a confusing mess, but I guess that's intentional?

[LadyTevar]

Rakka was pretty meh, until they introduced Amir, and started with the idea that the humans who escaped (or were thrown away?) by the lizard-things might have gained supernatural abilities.

[Shroom Man 777]

Was a good watch.

FIREBASE had some nice freaky body horror visuals though. The beginning was a confusing mess, but I guess that's intentional?

I guess with Firebase the random utterly loony stuff it had was something that was so beyond Blomkamp's usual stuff so it seems fresher than Rakka? Cause, yeah, it was totally WTF from Dr. Vietmanhattan to Soviet cybernetics to CIA techno-armor whatevers. Maaaaan.

[Cykeisme]

I guess with Firebase the random utterly loony stuff it had was something that was so beyond Blomkamp's usual stuff so it seems fresher than Rakka? Cause, yeah, it was totally WTF from Dr. Vietmanhattan to Soviet cybernetics to CIA techno-armor whatevers. Maaaaan.

Totally. Crazy stuff.

And it sort of goes with the no-exposition approach that sort of says, "this stuff here will make no sense the first time you watch it, but if you rewatch the start after seeing the later bits, it'll make sense. Probably."
Which is okay, really.

[Tandrax218]

I don' know about you guys but the first time i watched "Firebase" it gave me a deep uneasy feeling that something is profoundly wrong with the surroundings and events. It gave me a feeling like it was the beginning of a tore in reality. Something that came from WH40K - chaos demons chaos

Then as the film progressed i liked it even better and the whole story and concept.

But that first feeling of chaos-iness