A ‘Nine’ Course Meal: What’s the Difference between Nine, 9, Cloud 9 and District 9?

It’s so easy to lose track of what’s coming out with the number of films being released, even worse when movie titles start resembling one another as is the case with Cloud 9, District 9, 9 and Nine. For starters, they’re all being released this year, a pair of the films fall in the sci-fiction/fantasy worlds and one showcases a couple of fantasy girls and the oldest title had it’s world premiere back in Cannes 2008.

Cloud 9: I don’t think moviegoers will be confused with this Friday’s “9” releases. Andreas Dresen’s Cloud 9 (a.k.a Wolke 9), this is about finding love and re-discovering one’s sexuality at the tender ages of 60 and 70 plus. Here a 67-year old married woman who rediscovers passion and her sexuality when she unexpectedly falls in love with 76 year-old. This is the foreign language title of the foursome. Music Box Films releases this in a limited release.

District 9: The first of the three to be released comes from the Peter Jackson camp introducing Neill Blomkamp to feature filmmaking. This is based on Blomkamp’s brilliant 6 minute short called Alive in Joburg. This depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa. Comparisons can be made to the visual formula employed for REC and Cloverfield. Columbia Pictures releases this August 14th.

9: This is the animated film that features a voice cast of nine and is based on Shane Acker’s award-winning short film. Tim Burton and Timor Bekmambetov are the producers and basically this is yet another storyline set in a postapocalyptic world where the dolls band together to survive. The animated adventure gets a release by Focus Features on the date specific ninth day of the ninth month. 

Nine: I’ve never been a fan of musicals, but this one is my exception and I imagine is still flying low on the radar. The Rob Marshall
directed pic is adapted from Federico Fellini’s 1963 classic autobiographical feature “8 1/2,” following the life of a famed film director and the many women in his life. Written by Michael Tolkin, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as world famous film director Guido Contini as he prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life. Contini’s wife “Luisa Contini” is played by Cotillard, his sultry mistress “Carla” by Cruz, Kidman stars as his film star muse “Claudia Graham,” Judi Dench plays the role of “Lily” – his confidant and costume designer, Sophia Loren is his mother or “Mamma” and Hudson plays “Stephanie” the young American fashion journalist. The Weinstein Company releases this on the 25th of November with an awards nominated-friendly release pattern.