By Charly Shelton

Action. Sci-fi. Thriller. A look at what’s playing in our local theaters this holiday weekend.

Its smoky outside. The fires are almost gone, but the air still isn’t breathable. So what better way to spend your Labor Day weekend than in a nice air conditioned theater taking in the great films that will grace the cinema as of Friday.

District 9 is an action/sci-fi/thriller with a political twist. It deals with aliens who have come to earth and cannot leave. They are kept in a ghetto in South Africa called District 9 where they live in ramshackle huts and spend their days picking through trash heaps. They live as second class citizens. When a government agent is sprayed by a chemical that makes humans into these aliens (called prawns) he becomes the government’s greatest experiment- to be harvested for research. He must find a way to turn himself back into a human before the government catches up with him.

Definitely a good movie to see. It has action, great special effects, amazing aliens, pathos, and just enough political allegory to feel like it has a good message too. This film is a must see for any sci-fi fan. Good for ages 17 and up due to some scary images and fighting. Rated R. I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5. This one is a little darker. Definitely not for children. This film involves a very fictitious plot to kill the ÅCNazi higher ups in 1944 German Occupied France. Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine who takes a group of American enlisted Jews to France to kill Nazi’s. Plain and simple. Saying too much about the plot of this film may ruin the whole reason one would go to see it. Thusly, it is better to be left in suspense on the plot of this movie. Just know- This movie is really good. One of the better films of the summer. A bit gory but its expected with a war movie. Brad Pitt gives a very funny but borderline caricature of a Mountain Man turned Nazi killer. A bit over the top. The actor who really makes this film is Christoph Waltz. He plays charming and cruel SS Colonel Hans Landa. He can be very nice and charming to the point where the audience can like him very much, despite being an officer in the SS, and then turn on a dime and kill someone with such savagery using his bare hands. He makes this film. Eli Roth, Director of the Hostel films also plays a strong role as the “Bear Jew”- one of the Basterds who bludgeons Nazi’s with a baseball bat.

This is not for kids. Not for young teenagers. Not for anyone who is squeamish about blood. For everyone else, go see this film. That is your homework assignment. When Oscar time rolls around, this film may be getting some buzz. You will want to be the one to say you saw it in theaters. Rated R for a good reason, this film is Directed by Quentin Tarantino. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. Coming on Friday, we have “Extract” starring Jason Bateman. The owner of a flavor extract factory is about to sell it off, and retire when an accident at the factory changes all his plans. Rated R.

Also, “All About Steve” starring Sandra Bullock from “The Proposal” and Bradley Cooper from “The Hangover.” He’s a cable news camera man. She’s a crossword puzzle constructor. After one blind date, she’s smitten. He’s not. And now she’s a stalker. He’s afraid. She follows him across the country because she is convinced that they are meant to be together. He’s not. Rated PG-13.