Moving houses

Hey everyone. Thanks again for your many MANY great reviews, tips and questions - whether on twitter or email. We've fielded well over a hundred questions, and managed to slip in some of your reviews around the site.

Soon, though, we'll be moving this site over to a new-and-improved EleventhHourFacts.com. If you haven't had a chance yet to check it out, please do. We started following CBS' hit show Eleventh Hour last year, shining a light on the truth behind the science fiction. That was the inspiration for District9Facts, and it will be our continuing model as we move forward - light-heartedly examining some of the more dubious bits of science in today's pop culture shows.

So join us as the summer draws to a close and the new fall programming begins. Please contact us if you'd like to help us review the science in these shows come autumn, or even if you have a specific show you'd like to suggest we follow. See you again soon!
 

Calling out a few more reviewers

It seems like most of the people who wanted to see District 9 have done exactly that. We've been following the reviews - so thanks for sending in yours as well as others that have caught your attention. Plenty of you have suggested we explore the movie's online game, which has now taken up more of our time than we'd like to admit. We've also received quite a few micro-reviews through twitter, so here's a few shout-outs to you who sent those in:

Blake: Great story telling. I thought the trajectory of the characters was believable. Special effects were terrific. The gritty world we were thrust into by the film makers felt real. I was blown away.

Hosai: I believe it had a message to spread in it as well....to treat everyone humane and equally

Lastly, we thought that one commenter on io9's comment board caught our attention... for obvious reasons: "Biotechnology is the highest standard for any science. Nanobots seem cool, but mitochondria have been doing tough work for millenia."

Nice.

(08.21.09)
 

More reviews and some background on District 9

Apparently LA Times has declared District 9 the "surprise hit of summer". Not at all surprising, given the enthusiastic reception it received when we saw it last Friday.  We also spotted an interesting review on the Exoplanetology blog, where they propose that this film will give xenosociologists (who study alien cultures) much pause for thought in the future when wondering how first encounters might look.

Lastly, a lot of you have been contacting us to let us know that District 9 was based on the YouTube video 'Alive in Joburg'.  Have a look at the original and let us know what you think of it... and whether Blomkamp did a good job of translating the film to the big screen.

(08.20.09)

And here's the mashup you've been asking about

As a bit of fun, we decided to send Dr. Jacob Hood (from CBS' show Eleventh Hour) to go investigate District 9 for himself. We definitely had a giggle putting this together, and we'd love to hear your thoughts about it. Feel free to email us or tweet at us... and don't forget to keep sending us your reviews of the science behind District 9. Thanks!

(08.19.09)

District 9 fans are asking about biotech

With the huuuuge success that is the movie District 9, we're getting a lot of folks sending us some basic questions about biotechnology - especially after Dr. Wach's great post-movie review. So we thought we'd offer you a few places to find out more about what biotech is, and what it's doing in the real world, here and now. Many people are already buzzing about biofuels for example, but there's so much more going on in the world of biotech. This technology is being used to advance treatments for serious diseases, increase farm yields for a growing global population and has even become a cornerstone of modern criminal forensics. One of our sister sites has a lot more information on biotechnology for those of you who would like to find out more.  

And please keep sending us your questions and reviews to see them up here or find us in the twittersphere via @D9Fx. 

(08.18.09)

More District 9 reviews pour in

It's pretty clear that there's a wide-ranging reaction to District 9 at this point.  Whereas we have people calling for an Oscar nod, we also have people saying the film's importance and quality are completely overblown. There are even folks looking for a sequel nod from Director Neill Blomkamp. So, which is it?  What do you think? Tweet us at @D9Fx or send us an email to let us know what you thought about District 9.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for some fun new District 9 mashups we'll be posting very soon!

(08.17.09)

District 9 takes the box office

Well, the numbers are in and people voted for District 9 with their feet this weekend, making it the number 1 movie in the U.S. box office. We also see a wide variety of reviews: from the glowing; to the man on the street; to the less-than-glowing. Nonetheless, there hasn't been much mention of the science behind the movie, so we'll keep looking out for anything that pops up on our radar screen. If you see anything, please tweet us a link at @D9Fx so we can post it here - along with any of your reviews you'd like to send

(08.16.09)

Note: We apologize that our email server was acting a little (pardon the pun) buggy this weekend, but those issues are now solved. Please keep sending us your own science'y reviews.

Wow. Serious action for a matinee

That was one mind-blowingly, action-packed film... and clearly one that's going to get a lot of folks excited for the future of Neill Blomkamp - especially after all the hard work it took getting around to direct District 9 in the first place. As anticipated, there were many explosions, a ton o' gore, and a smidgen of biotechnology thrown in as a fun plot device. In other words, great summer scifi.  

So to sort things out, we were pretty glad we had Dr. Wach with us to run through some of his immediate post-film thoughts. Check it out below.  And please email us with your reviews (text/audio/video) of the science in District 9... and we'll watch for outside reviews & tweets in the meantime.

(08.14.09)

Welcome hyuumahns

Thanks for joining us! For those of you eager scifi fans out there who have already seen the movie, we'll admit it... you beat us to it. We'll be going to see the film at 2pm EST on Friday August 14th. We'll also be joined by one of our favorite scientists at the theater. Some of you may recognize him from one of our sister sites - www.EleventhHourFacts.com.

Like District 9, the reality of biotechnology is
dramatic and intense, and the discoveries
revolutionary: curing debilitating diseases,
improving agricultural yields, and finding
better ways to fuel our world.
District9Facts is a project of BIO to bring
you the real-life science behind the on-screen
fiction of District 9 – in a light-hearted way.
To learn more, visit www.wcbd4u.com

Contact Us

Email us with your own review of the science behind District 9 at info@district9facts.com, or tweet at us @D9Fx