If ever there was a perfect movie to watch on Halloween, then this is certainly a contender. Hyped as Spider Man director Sam Raimi’s return to the genre that made him famous with the brilliant Evil Dead trilogy, this energetic ghost-train ride of a movie follows the story of young loan officer Christine (newcomer Alison Lohman) who after refusing an old pensioner a further extension on her mortgage repayments, is cursed, leaving just 3 days to discover a cure before being literally, dragged to hell.
With this at first odd premise, Sam Raimi is like a court jester playing all his favorite tricks and traps as he puts our plucky heroine through the mill, throwing her all over the the shop for our entertainment (just as he did twenty odd years ago with Bruce Campbell). Now although Alison Lohman may lack the comedic charm of ‘the chin’ she makes for a feisty and believable ‘victim’, and gives the forces of evil as good as she gets, from suffering torrential nose bleeds and an arm being thrust down her throat, to swallowing a fly and being vomited upon with maggots. She certainly earns her pay cheque. Of course in a movie like this, the other actors remain set-dressing and the story is purposely basic, because the real meat here is the energy and ideas, of which there’s is no short amount. In this age of torture-porn endurance horrors (Saw, Martyrs), it’s refreshing to finally experience a horror movie that knows how to be fun as well as horrific, without leaving that nasty after-taste.
Following my previous post reviewing the theatrical cut of the movie, I have recently got hold of the director’s cut on blu-ray (still currently only available in the U.S.), and although I stand by the review, saying what is available in this uncensored version has little effect on the overall entertainment of the movie, any fan of Natural Born Killers should know – this is a movie that should never have been cut in the first place. Finally we get the warts-and-all complete version, that although structurally identical to the theatrical cut, has just that little bit more attitude and bite.
New to the Blu-ray director’s cut is a 22 minute documentary exploring the impact of the movie and how it would be treated in this internet, information-obsessed age, which is invaluable – as is the older ‘chaos rising’ featurette that appeared on the DVD version of this cut. Add to this all the extras from the previous release and a 44 page booklet (with a new Oliver Stone introduction) that is basically a re-issue of the original releases’ book contents. Shame on Warners for making us double-dip, but if like me you need to have NBK in your collection, this is well worth the purchase.
Still one of the boldest, daring and craziest main-stream movies ever made.
Wow. This was a wierd one. I rented this as I felt I had been neglecting the career of my favourite actress, namely Winona Ryder, and had heard many positive things about this sci-fi yarn based on a Philip K Dick short story, and co-starring Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. Now one of the immediate points of interest in this movie is it’s animated ‘look’, a process where the whole movie is actually filmed with regular actors, locations etc … then given an animated post-processing style to create the look of an animated movie. This being my only experience of such a process, I have to say it is both startling and bonkers.
Keanu Reeves plays an undercover cop in a not-too-distant future who becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result. This was a difficult film to like for several reasons, firstly it has a group of mostly unlikable odd-ball characters that I guess are meant to be lovable loosers but come off more as annoying loosers, with no direction but screwing each other over, and secondly Keanu wears a wierd disguise that hides his identity, which is an interesting but mind-bending effect showing the character’s appearance changing every second. Now apart from the obvious visual style that does earn this movie a viewing recommendation, the story is confusing and rather bland, with not much point or purpose, apart from a well warn image of drug-culture that can’t hold a hat to the likes of Trainspotting or Drugstore Cowboy. The ending is mystifying too. Acting wise all do a fine job with the material with Keanu and Winona especially standing out, but it’s the visuals here that pack the greatest punch, and some of the imagery and ideas are amazing – but sadly the story they surround isn’t.
Now, don’t get me wrong … I was initially all over this one like a bad case of herpes. A group of seemingly normal people (hiding secret super powers) are hunted down by a shady organization hell bent on creating a race of super soldiers - hello Heroes rip-off, or maybe a nod to the X-Men franchise. But then I watched it, and oh my god did I have a hard time following a movie! Yet this isn’t no David Lynch labyrinthine mystery, this is a sci-fi action movie! So why so bloody complicated and, to put it bluntly, incoherent?
Fantastic Four’s Chris Evan’s plays a guy who witnesses the murder of his super-powered father as a child, and ever since has been trying to master his abilities and find the man responsible. Step in street-wise 13 year old Dakota Fanning, who enrolls Chris in her quest to find a girl (Camilla Belle) who we see escape a government facility in the opening credits, having survived a powers-enhancing injection that had previously killed all other test subjects.
Shot with no end of style and with some decent action sequences (although nothing to worry Michael Bay), this is fast paced and packed with personality, and has some genuinely good ideas, yet where it fails miserably is in the telling of the story – most of the time I had no idea why certain characters were doing certain things, and where they were going and what for. It began to annoy the hell out of me, because this had the potential to be killa entertainment. Chris Evans makes for a likable lead, but Dakota Fanning as expected for such a talented child actor steals every scene from under her older co-stars without breaking a sweat – she definitely has screen presence. Just a shame them that she’s stuck in a movie that tries so hard to be all clever and twisty, but in the end just left this viewer cold, and confused.
Halloween, the 1978 version is a masterpiece. It’s tense, dripping with atmosphere, genuinely scary and expertly put together. John Carpenter knew how to get under a viewer’s skin. Now fast-forward to the remake, an admittedly brutally violent but somewhat interesting re-tread of the original, shedding new light on the masked killer’s childhood and family background, before sadly stumbling in the final act by copying and pasting the events of the old movie, but presenting them as if directed by an idiot.
Now don’t get me wrong, Rob Zombie is not an idiot. He understands what is needed to create that 80’s video nasty vibe. He showcased this wonderfully in the down right bizarre House of 1000 Corpses and the brilliantly inventive The Devil’s Rejects. Yet there he was dealing with the off spring of his own warped imagination. Here though, he’s bastardizing someone elses characters, and spreading them liberally with more gore and violence than was ever strictly necessary. Laurie Strode is a bit messed up after surviving her ordeal on Halloween night one year previous, and is haunted by nightmares of the masked killer Michael Myers, who everyone believes is dead, but guess what? No body was ever recovered. Wait, I know, you’ve heard this one before … but stick with me. Well as expected said deranged nutcase returns, this time haunted himself by the ghostly apparition of his mother (Sheri Moon Zombie) and his younger self, which I admit is an interesting spin, yet what isn’t at all interesting is the shockingly predictable slayings, which are overly nasty, and the frantic, head-ache inducing editing, where the camera is more often than not so close and epileptic you CAN’T TELL WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT. Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie is (once again) no Jamie Lee Curtis, says ‘f***’ a lot, and warbles in hysterics so you CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE IS SAYING. What ideas this sequel has it never fully develops, the reveal of Laurie Strode being Michael Myer’s sister is both pointless and completely unexplored, and even genre stalwarts such as Malcolm McDowell and Brad Dourif lend nothing to proceedings making their presence insulting when you consider what gems they have been in previously.
A terrible horror movie, and contender for worst movie of the year.
If there was a top ten best horror movies of all time, I think few would disagree with me that this would be in the top five. Directed in 1981 by John Landis, pretty much no film about werewolves has been able to capture the magic of this entry, one of the few horror movies to be both scary and funny. Griffin Dunne and David Naughton play two American back packers who are attacked on the moors one night during a full moon. Suffice to say, David survives but is cursed to becoming a werewolf, yet chooses to ignore the warnings of his undead friend whilst falling for a nurse (Jenny Agutter).
Played with tongue firmly in cheek but with moments of genuine scares and top-notch gore, this movie works so well, and hasn’t dated one bit. Landis’ accomplished imagery, a script filled with quotable lines such as ‘a naked american man stole my balloons!’, ‘Beware the moon’ etc as well as the moon-themed soundtrack that kicks in at exactly the right time, forms a perfect recipe of uncomfortable comedy, with an atmosphere all it’s own. Much has been said about Rick Baker’s Oscar winning make up effects, and now even 28 years later, it still looks fantastic, not only the much acclaimed werewolf transformation, but also the moments of gore and violence (especially Griffin Dunne’s first undead appearance). Add to this top acting marks from the three principal leads, with a never sexier Jenny Agutter, and well, what can I say – this movie is a classic.
The Blu-ray has an obviously improved picture from the previous 21st anniversary edition, being both brighter and sharper but retains much of the flaws of the original print, such as heavy grain, a slight shimmering effect and subdued colours. The DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack however shines with clear dialogue and a punchy result from the numerous music moments. Most importantly though for this release is that in addition to the extras carried over from the DVD we get a brand new feature-length documentary, making this currently the best release of the movie to date.
I have a love / hate relationship with director’s cuts. Often it seems I prefer the original of which I have become used to, and more often than not, any tinkering adds very little to the movie (ahem, Blade Runner), even to the point of ruining it (The Frighteners, anyone?) Now Payback is definitely a different beast. The original theatrical version plays out as a clever, mean and dirty revenge movie with bags of personality and energy to spare. I loved it, but haven’t seen it in ages. Last night I sat down to watch this new Director’s Cut, with hype surrounding it as a completely new movie compared to what was previously released.
Mel Gibson is Porter, a hard-as-nails career crim who is double crossed by his partner in crime and left shy of 70 grand. Now he is back in town and wants what he’s owed. This simple set up lays the ingredients for a back-to-basics thriller, very much in that 70s cop movie vibe, and Gibson is joined by a quality cast, especially the always gorgeous Maria Bello, and the brilliant Lucy Liu. I recall loving the one dimensional intensity of Gibson’s character, his charm and sly wit even when up against impossible odds – you route for him even though he’s despicable. He’s just cool.
Now when comparing this to the theatrical version, we have a leaner, meaner cut, that although now showing Gibson knocking Deborah Kara Unger senseless and killing a heavy in cold blood, actually seems tamer in comparison. We also get an entirely different third act, that lacks much of the ‘yes!’ climax of the original and excises Kris Kristofferson completely. Perhaps fitting with the 70s vibe, the formerly blue tint to the movie has been replaced with a raw, gritty and vibrant colour palette, which gives the movie a new lease of life.
I’ll say I prefer the original overall as the missing scenes here do add a great deal, as did the voice over that is also gone – it just felt like a more fleshed out experience. Yet I applaude what director Brian Helgeland was going for and think the new version is just as good – for different reasons.
The Blu-ray can’t be faulted mostly as its jam-packed with features, including a short documentary on the creation of the new cut, an audio commentary on the new cut, and behind the scenes featurettes to fill out the package. The new look to the director’s cut impresses most, but both versions (as is presented here) are in great shape, with equally punchy Dolby True HD soundtracks.
I was never a fan of the post-apocalytic Aussie action franchise Mad Max. All that moody desert landscape stuff and screaming mad men in armoured cars – not my bag. So on first hearing of this British-made Escape From New York meets 28 Days Later, I was less than underwhelmed, even if it was by the director of the mostly excellent The Descent.
Now fast-forward to present, having just finished watching it, and what can I report? In 2035, 27 years after the outbreak of the Reaper virus kills millions, a strain of the disease erupts in London, threatening the world, and so a team of specialist soldiers are sent into the abandoned wasteland of Glasgow in a hope to find a cure. Rhona Mitra, former Tomb Raider model and all round hot stuff plays total bad-ass Major Sinclair, and is this movie’s meal ticket as every time she is on screen she raises the movie out of it’s b-movie routs by being so cool. Add to this some admirable production values, plenty of gung-ho action and lots of gore, as well as a killer soundtrack – and it’s obvious this was done with one word in mid: fun!
Director Neil Marshal follows up The Descent with this boys-own fantasy of a movie that has all the ingredients any testosterone fueled guy craves – guns, car-chases, explosions and tits! Hell yeah! Saying that we also get a cast of Brit heavy weights in the form of Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell to lend the pop-corn proceedings some class.
Definitely one of the most enjoyable movies I’ve seen in a long time.
Here’s the latest trailer for the remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street. At first I hated the idea of Hollywood big-wigs remaking one of the finest horror movies ever made. Nothing is sacred, but then again, let’s look at the Elm Street movies now, and they all look a bit silly and dodgy. So maybe it’s time to bring back that dirty sweater and burned faced to cinema screens, and the casting of Watchmen’s Jackie Early Haley is brilliant … hopefully.
Ok, I’m talking about NBC TV series Heroes again. I have been reading a lot about the ratings and general critic / fan feedback this show has been getting since the writer’s strike that shortened season two and caused many of the viewers to stop watching the show. Heroes is a victim of it’s own popularity as the first season presented us with something bold, fresh and new, doing many things that similar shows like Smallville couldn’t even touch. Sadly the following season despite some memorable moments and characters, seemed to be much more relaxed and more TV show like than the serialised blockbuster season one had been. This naturally effected the luke-warm popularity of season three, which is a shame as this feels very much the blockbuster style of season one, despite a complicated story-ark that relies on your knowledge of season 1 & 2. But can’t that be said for all TV shows?
Now the ratings for the season four premier were less than impressive, again another fall-out from season 2 & 3’s bad press, and I think it is a shame as there is genuine affection for this show by the creators and cast and any problems are constantly being worked on. Yet trying to address every critic / fan-boys complaint can’t be done – and Tim Kring, series creator needs to focus on where his show is going and do his own thing, as he did in season one, and maybe everyone will be happy. Yet I doubt it. Heroes has become the whipping boy for the television industry, and despite a firm fan following, seems destined to stay that way.
I just hope that NBC and Tim Kring etc have the courage to believe in their show and ignore the criticism and keep the show from disappearing for good. It has way too much going for it, and the cast is tremendous.
