PONYO And DISTRICT 9 Hit US Theaters

It's been a great year at the movies so far, and it just keeps getting better -- two movies I'm keeping a close eye on are making their debuts in the United States today, and I'm having high hopes they make their way to Southeast Asian shores soon. I'm talking about Disney's English adaptation of "Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea" and Peter Jackson's "District 9."

I've written about "Ponyo" a few times before, and I can't seem to write enough about it -- it's just plain amazing. Superstar Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, creator of the wildly popular films "Mononoke" and "Spirited Away," came up with the Little Mermaid-esque story about a little goldfish aspiring to be human over a year ago.

In a rarely brilliant move, Disney enlisted powerhouse voice actors to dub "Ponyo" in English. While Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, and 9-year-old Noah Cyrus (who voices Ponyo) make the film sound American-made, there's definitely something about the adventurous storytelling that's distinctly, beautifully Japanese. After making waves at Comic Con, "Ponyo" is expected to be a weekend box-office hit.

On the other hand, there's "District 9," a story about ghettoized refugee aliens trying to eke out a living in Johannesburg, South Africa. The extra-terrestrials are actually only the subplot -- the story revolves around a government official tasked to oversee the eviction and relocation of the aliens. What follows is an effects-heavy, action-packed sci-fi adventure that's wild enough to merit an "R" rating.

"District 9" didn't have the same amount of fanfare that surrounded "Ponyo," but it promises to be one of the year's sleeper hits. We all know how Peter Jackson launched the "Lord Of The Rings" franchise into mainstream popularity -- there's no telling how "District 9" will fare until the weekend rolls around.

Are YOU waiting for any 2009 movie in particular? Drop me a line.