Monsters, directed by Gareth Edwards (Ashlyn)

Monsters is one of those rare films where the viewer is unsure of what is going to happen from the very beginning to the very end of the story.

The premise is that NASA found some alien life up there in the sky, so they went to grab some samples. Unfortunately, they messed up their re-entry (NASA: Need Another Seven Astronauts) and crash landed in Mexico, which let the samples loose. The Mexican and US governments are working together to contain the threat by cordoning off the infected zones. At the beginning of the film, a journalist reluctantly agrees to escort his boss's daughter through the infected zone and back to the safety of the States.

At first glance, once would think this is a monster movie. The title doesn't detract from this impression. However, not far into the film you get a love story much more realistic than those seen in most films. It is increasingly unclear, the more the story unfolds, whether the audience should be rooting for the romance or hoping to see some aliens explode- in a good way. (Hint: you'll probably get both!) Basically, this movie is Before Sunrise set to District 9.

The best part about this movie for me was the heart and soul that the cast and crew put into it. The film was basically done with a few actors, a couple of crew members, a couple of cameras, and a guerrilla filmmaking style that pays off big time. The film was reportedly shot for under $15,000, which is a producer's dream. The director did the editing and special effects in post production on his computer at home. Brilliant. If Edwards inspires just a couple of talented folks to follow in his footsteps, the film world will soon enough be a lush landscape of film experiences.