2012 : Year in Review - The Second Quarter

The three months from April to June saw a varied genre of movies released; as we approached the summer the big budget films started coming out.

Let’s get straight into the films; starting with the good ones.

There are a number of films from this period that I still have to see and I am certain I will like a few.

1.       Take this Waltz – directed by Sarah Polley and starring Michelle Williams; Seth Rogen (who’s weird comedy i have warmed to) and Sarah Silverman. I don’t quite know why I haven’t seen this yet.

2.       To Rome With Love – Another city for Woody.

3.       People Like Us – Elizabeth Banks; Olivia Wilde. Should have seen this.

4.       Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – Seemed interesting. Ill watch anything with Steve Carrell.

5.       The Five Year Engagement – That makes 2 films with Emily Blunt that I have to see; and that is two of three highly rated films. This one; for a romantic comedy; has a 130+ minute run time. That is possibly why I haven’t seen it yet.

6.       Magic Mike – I have been put off by the plot here. Male strippers? And I tend not to appreciate the direction of Steven Soderbergh. I find the angles weird.

7.       Ted – My brother’s obsession with Family Guy and the complete un-funny parts that I have seen of the show (It may be funny; but I have seen nothing funny or maybe it is not to my taste) has led me to park this film; despite Mila Kunis being in it. Creator of the show Seth MacFarlane is going to host the Oscars also.

8.       Rock of Ages – Musical. Too long but will see it.

Now to two films which have got universal critical acclaim; but I might not watch them.

1.       The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – It has two stalwarts in Judi Dench and Maggie Smith and is among the list of films nominated everywhere for Best Picture but this just is not my kind of film. Shot in Udaipur.

2.       Beasts of the Southern Wild – Neither is this but I might have to make an exception here. While the film itself is one of the highest rated of the year; its lead is a young girl called (I had to google this) Quvenzhané Wallis (And copy paste). By young I mean 5 when they auditioned and 8 while filming. Ive been reading few predictions and she could well become the youngest ever Best Actress nominee. Dont know about the plot.

Ok so now to the best films of the quarter.

I have run over this a few times and I could actually find only one; just one Outstanding film.

Films that were good.

I expected Prometheus to be great. It wasn’t great; but it was definitely a good film. With obvious sequel prequels to the Alien Quadrilogy on the way maybe this film might get better.

Did anyone not like The Avengers? Ok let me rephrase that : Did anyone not ‘enjoy’ The Avengers? I did. Superhero movies have come leaps and bounds since the rubbish Batman & Robin and the god-awful Spiderman Trilogy. Less cheesy effects and better story lines; not to forget better casting.

  

This was not the best collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd? Edward Scissorhands was better. Ed Wood was the best I think). But this was a film I liked; maybe more than The Avengers and Prometheus. Yeah Johnny Depp is at his eccentric best; but it is the super (almost all female) support cast (I am biased) led by Eva Green; who looks prettier than she ever has (without a doubt).

But; Undoubtedly the best film of this quarter was ...

Where do you start here? Because it had two 12 year olds as the main actors I thought ‘I’ll watch this later’ and kept putting it aside. But it is only a shade over 90 minutes long and rated 8.0 on iMDb so I saw it. I have seen Lincoln and Django Unchained but this is a better film than both. It truly is. Like I said with Soderbergh’s direction and the angles; Wes Anderson is the opposite. I like the way his films are shot; unique. And the two leads are like seasoned pros. A gem of a film and very high up in my best films of the year. Funny; original and feel good. Deserves an Oscar nomination.

Some of the other films that are worth a mention in the quarter.

American Reunion – I saw it because I just wanted to laugh and kill time. Was actually pretty fun.

The Raven – Okayish film. Murder mystery set in the 1800s. One time watch.

Safe – Jason Statham vs the Chinese; the Mafia and the NYPD all at once. One time watch again.

The Dictator – I laughed a lot during this. Way better than Bruno.

Chernobyl Diaries – Incredible plot; but executed well.

Men in Black 3 – I find the Men in Black movies stupid. Just not bad enough to be relegated to my bottom 3.

Snow White & The Huntsman – Charlize Theron has not impressed me in any way. She was over the top in this; kind of like Javier Bardem in Skyfall (Why he is being lauded for essentially hamming his way through the film?) This film dragged on too long. I saw it in the theatre; with my mother and I felt it was like the times I would see some horrible Bollywood film in the theatre with her – too long; stiff actors; boring. And Kristen Stewart has a horrible confused expression throughout the film. Was it because Robert Pattinson found out about her and the director? (Why do I know that and if I did; why did I mention it?)

Piranha 3DD – This almost made my bottom 3; If there was a bottom 4 this would be 4^th. The first Piranha film was fun. This was anything but. Danielle Panabaker is pretty but she should stay away from such shit. David Hasselhoff has such a pathetic self-parody role. Utterly horrible.

[REC] 3 Genesis – The first film was superb. The second was a good follow up. This was a disaster. It was funny! There were jokes and joke kills! Why? Why mess up something so good. It is on the same levels as Die Hard 4 becoming PG-13. Die Hard needs to have violence and vulgar dialogue! [REC] has to be scary. It was not that bad a film; but a big disappointment. And it even moves out from the hand held to a wide normal movie camera. Let down.

And now; the worst three films of the quarter.

Battleship – Battleshit. Ten minutes into the film in the theatre and I began questioning my decision to watch this. A criminal assault at the senses. Fuckin alien ships of different sizes so the navy actually plays Battleship by taking guess shots at grid like targets in the dark. My neck began to hurt from the times I kept shaking my head  and muttering ‘No! Please no! FUCK NO!’ at the overdose of stupidity. And it cost 200 million to make this film. Still shaking my head. Brooklyn Decker in her film debut doesn’t make it better. Liam Neeson is wasted. And Rihanna?

 

The Cabin in the Woods – A horror film that has everyone saying it is great; has good reviews from the critics and a 7+ rating on iMDb means it must be a superb horror film since horror films don’t get this level of acclaim.

OR

THE MOVIE IN QUESTION IS NOT A FUCKIN HORROR FILM AT ALL!

[REC} 3 had a few scares and was funny in parts and was a disappointment for moving away from the genre established by the first two films; but BY GOD I WAS PISSED WATCHING THIS. It starts off ok. Then it makes a fool of itself by playing some sort of ‘pick your horror villain’ and something.

And the worst film of the quarter was –

Timur Bekmambetov. I will get to this joke in a bit.

Timur Bekmambetov made his first film for Hollywood in 2008. The film was Wanted. Yeah; the ones where bullets do not travel in a straight line and featured the most pointless death scene ever when Angelina Jolie does not move after firing a bullet in a circle that kills everyone in the room who does not duck and she also does not duck for some reason i don’t know; maybe she was thinking she adopted someone from Niger instead of Nigeria or something. Fuckin rubbish film.

Then; fresh from that he produces two more appalling films in the name of Horror :-

Apollo 18 - Found footage film where the actual last manned mission to the moon encountered aliens; so man never went back.

Darkest Hour – What an awesome ... trailer. What special effects in the ... trailer. Should have just watched the trailer and not the pathetic film.

And now this. If you have to give him the benefit of doubt this is based on a novel. But it is so horrible; the plot; that I was actually dreading the time when Daniel Day-Lewis will pick up an axe in Lincoln. Even the effects were amateurish.  

Ok Piranha 3DD actually was worse than all these three films; but that was a parody from the start. All these three films try to take themselves seriously; which in the case of the first and third films is delusional.

The next two quarters have some good films. Later.

2012 : Year in Review - The First Quarter

2012 was one of the better years in film.
I have had a number of satisfying movie experiences; well a few more than recent years surely.

There were big films by big directors; nearly all my favorite directors had releases; I can count only Darren Aronofsky and Martin Scorsese who did not.
There were big films; period. Superhero films that bucked the trend of being only visual treats but focused on actually having solid plots and reasonably well defined characters.
There were a number of good horror films too; which sated my appetite.
Some of the old heads returned to acclaim and some of the new crowd proved they arent just flashes in the pan.

As is always the case the year begins slowly. In the summer you have the big money action films and late in the year the actually good films come out in a short span; all vying to win the coveted title of 'The Best Film of the Year' and releasing as late as possible to remain fresh in the memory. (In fact I plan on doing some analysis to see when the film that won Best Picture at the Oscars was released in the year of consideration)

I have decided to look at this in Four parts; four quarters in chronological order. There will definitely be films that I have not seen in each quarter; especially the films worth a mention from the later ones since they are yet to be released. That will give me time to watch these films and I intend to conclude the review with a fifth part; where I attempt to list the Top 20 films of the year; maybe not ranking them from 1 through to 20.

I will consider films which released in 2012 (Wikipedia). And no I will not consider the large number of films re-released in 3D. And I dont watch animated films so I cannot comment on those.

     

Two of the best films that released in 2012 were actually released in 2011 in their original countries.

Indonesian film Serbuan Maut; widely released in 2012 as The Raid; was the finest action film of the year for the actual hand combat. Yes there isnt much of a back story and it is basically only about a raid but it has some incredible fighting sequences that had me on the rewind button throughout.

Most of the actors involved in the film were proficient enough in the Indonesian Martial art called 'pencak silat' but the fellow who plays Mad Dog was unparalleled. You see him in the street and you wouldn't mind picking up a fight with the slightly built fellow but my word he will kick your ass. Hollywood has taken notice of the film as they have sealed the deal to a remake and want the same action choreographers. Hell if it's hand combat you may just stick in Liam Neeson in there (kidding). More recognition for Mad Dog; or maybe Hollywood just doesnt know how to end a fight involving him without shooting him.

The second film in my list might just feature in that Top 20 list I plan to make. In fact it is the only film from the first three months of the year that could. Xavier Gens' first film Frontieres was (in my humble/honest opinion) not as good as made out to be. It was ultra violent - that being its key selling point - and a very good film but people consider it one of the 4 French new-wave Horror films alongside 'Haute Tension' and the two best films of the kind 'Martyrs' and 'Inside'; and i disagree.

The Divide is something completely different. It doesnt take long for the tone of the film to settle in and as it gets more and more depraved you start to feel sick in your stomach. It is not the visuals; not primarily at least; but the depths that the characters descend to. That is definitely the effect the director wanted to have on the viewer and by god he gets it. This may be the biggest gap between the critical rating of a film and my rating in 2012. The acting is great and believable and there is time for another one of those over-sexed roles for Rosanna Arquette. Highly underrated.

Oh well; lets make a top three for the quarter.

Liam Neeson has been reinvented as a downright badass action star. He beats up people with ease these days so they decided to square him off against wolves this time. As with The Divide the atmosphere of the film; with the Arctic setting and powerful emotion and message brings life to what you would think would be a standard survival tale. It works. Was the end abrupt? I repeat; it works.

Movies that deserve a mention.

At the start of the year mostly fast paced films release. This is because the year tends to end with heavier; award-oriented dramas.

Safe House and Man on a Ledge were decent films.

Contraband - I enjoyed Contraband. Your above average heist film with Kate Beckinsale adding brownie points. (Ill mention the Fourth Underworld film here; Kate Beckinsale looks the same as she did 10 years ago; enough said)

Haywire - A strong cast with people getting beat up by a woman who would actually be able to beat them up in real life. Gina Carano makes up for a lack of acting skills with her considerable martial arts ones.

The Hunger Games and John Carter were not that bad; the former better than the latter. Mirror Mirror was more fun than both.

Silent House - A disappointing ending does not hide the hard work done to make this remake of a Uruguayan film appear to be a single; continuous shot (like the original). And if you have to watch 80 odd minutes of Elizabeth Olsen and only Elizabeth Olsen you would not complain.

Lastly Harry Potter forayed into Horror; with mixed results. The Woman in Black was OK.

Before naming the worst films of the period these are a list of films I am yet to see that I would want to.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - critically acclaimed.
Rampart
21 Jump Street
Coriolanus - started it but seemed too weird.

Finally; the films that sucked.

The third worse film of the first quarter of 2012 is ...

How can you have Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes in a movie and still make it bad. Wrath of the Titans may not be the worst film of the first quarter but the whole idea behind it is what sickens me. In fact; i was tempted to make it THE WORST film of the quarter. Everyone looks disinterested. The plot is weak. And it makes 300 million worldwide. Sad. The original was so much fun; the first remake borderline.

The second worst film of the quarter is ...

What the devil were they thinking? Did i watch the whole film or was there a second CD? A horror ending to a film that was not even that scary. The ending was the horror frankly.


AND.
The Worst film of the first 3 months of 2012 is ...

Ghosts cant die. They should. Dreadful film.I would console myself that the worst part of the first film was Eva Mendes and this would definitely be better since it was Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor; who gave us Crank! But; inexplicably; this is worse than the original. And they are making a third film. Why?

Rises

Well.

I take it that you have all seen this.

Let us look at the things I did not like first.

Maybe you could have seen a little more of Michael Caine as Alfred.

Why did he return with just one day left?

I did not like the way Marion Cotillard died – she is a fantastic actress but that was underwhelming.

Maybe; just maybe it could have been a little less depressing – in that he is broke/the take all the stuff from the Research and Applications Lab/ Alfred goes. But maybe that was how they could justify ending it.

Thats it. Feels like a mobile phone review where they say – pixel density is less; photos are not warm enough; 32GB but not expandable – all small problems.

First – to the cast.

Christian Bale – he doesn’t have that much of screen time. And not much dialogue as Batman either – which is a good thing as it felt really contrived in the previous two films. But; there isn’t much to fault in his performance. He’s put on weight again after the Fighter; which has to be unhealthy. Will miss him as Batman – as there will certainly be more films.

Michael Caine – who doesn’t like Michael Caine? With that accent?

Marion Cotillard – Chris Nolan has his favourites. But it is a very good list of them. I’ve scrolled through La Vie en Rose and while it looks depressing you can see a case for her winning Best Actress then. Read she has a case now even for her performance in Rust and Bone. Doesnt have much to do here; but still looks lovely – but that little mark on her forehead which you could see in Inception is still there. I am being very harsh.

 

Anne Hathaway -  There are a number of scenes in this film that deserve to be re-watched. I could use my video trimming techniques and compile all of Anne Hathaway’s scenes and watch them again and again. Since i first saw her act – and no that was not in Princess Diaries and i am not a paedophile – i felt that she is possibly the prettiest actress out there. I felt that she had put on a little weight recently; but she has definitely shed that to fit into that amazing suit – and the best view of the suit is when she is on the bike and blowing a hole in the tunnel towards the end. That Batpod turned heads in The Dark Knight. Took it to a whole new level here; including the amazing way the wheels spin. Just so much to like about this film.

When i read she would play Catwoman i was a little confused. I thought there were other actresses better suited to the role. Say Kate Beckinsale who was my first choice. But she does a fine job and i doubt anyone would have been disappointed. As is the case with all the actors in this; they are accomplished; talented and nearly all of them have been Oscar nominees or winners. Anne Hathaway is a front-runner this year for Les Miserables. If you don’t think they fit the role they prove you wrong. Coming to the role and it does lack a back story; when Bane does have one. But you do not know where her allegiance lies – as is the case with Catwoman. I thought Juno Temple was unnecessary in this film though.

Tom Hardy – Do you know that they are rebooting the Mad Max series? I haven’t seen any of them but Tom Hardy will play the title role that Mel Gibson played. Did you also know that Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell will be made into a movie? And it is Tom Hardy playing the main character Sam Fisher. From where has he popped up? A minor role in Inception; followed by a great turn as a boxer in Warrior (really good) and now he is everywhere. There isn’t much acting to be done here. But Nolan converted Bane from the dithering foolish giant into a visceral fighting machine. And i doubt I could think of anyone else who fit the profile. Bane does meet a soft end; but at least it is a smart one. Before the reveal of Talia al’Ghul; Batman does have the upper-hand as he is after the mask; but i didn’t think there was any chance of Bane losing a fair fight. So; cheat. In tune with how the Catwoman is and the only way. Still more believable than – No man can kill the Witch King of Narzgul and a woman kills him.

Gary Oldman – in this film Gary is just an Old man. Now since Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great that was fine.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Maybe Chris Nolan felt that if anyone had to continue this series – maybe even him if stuff doesn’t go his way – he could use Robin. Or maybe he was forced to use Robin somewhere. Still; this is a very good character that they have brought in. He is a bankable actor is Gordon-Levitt.

Liam Neeson – I saw Darkman recently. Weird seeing Liam Neeson 20 years ago getting emotional. A very small role but another actor i like.

Morgan Freeman’s there too. So is Cilian Murphy (watch Red Lights – decent film with De Niro). As i said the cast of this film is really good – all of them I like. I don’t like Maggie Gyllenhaal. I’m so so about Aaron Eckhart. And they aren’t here.

The Ending?

It isn’t Inception style where it could be one or the other. Michael Caine actually sees them in that Cafe in Florence. While I am a fan of sad endings this film (and the trilogy) did not merit one and i was actually disappointed that he died. He didn’t. He wanted out and he did it the right way. Plus Anne Hathaway is alive too. Maybe if they release ‘A Good Day to Batman’ in Italy like they did with Die Hard they could have both Batman and Catwoman. (a dig at a stupid plot in the 5^th Die Hard PG-13 film)

So much to look forward to.

Ive spent the last 2 hours nursing a bad cold. So no work done. Apart from showing everyone the Gangnam Style video I’ve gone through the whole (Yes whole) list of movies released in 2012 to at least find out which of them will be in the running for awards. Most of these movies release near the end of the year so there are assumptions involved; but some that have yet to be released have been screened in Festivals and have been critically acclaimed.

Just Movies. Actor and Actress thoughts within the text.

Movie –

1.       The Hobbit – I don’t like anything to do with Lord of the Rings anymore. I am sick of them. Every fucking day some channel is showing one of the movies and with this (and two sequels) coming out in the next 3 years there will be 6 films that will be telecast on these channels. No i am not saying they suck; just that i am sick of them. My brother is a big fan and i just think it has been overdone. Now – I will obviously watch this; since the movies were pretty good and it is essentially the same cast. Just hope it isn’t good enough to win Best Picture. But it will be up there somewhere. Getting this out of the way as I go chronologically from now on.

2.       Moonrise Kingdom – You have to wait till May to get a film which genuinely could be considered for Awards. Wes Anderson’s (The Royal Tenenbaums) film is about a summer camp and has a strong ensemble cast including Bruce Willis; Frances McDormand and Edward Norton. Since it deals with the nice things and is a ‘Nice’ film it will be nominated. The reception has been very good – universal acclaim. Will be available for download soon.

3.       Rock of Ages – I just finished downloading this and while the reviews are not that great musicals tend to get nominated to make up the numbers. Big cast with Tom Cruise singing.

4.       To Rome With Love – Woody Allen’s latest film stars him after 6 years. Another ensemble cast featuring the nerdy Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page and Penelope Cruz with Roberto Benignini; the reviews are that it is a typical Woody Allen movie. Typical Woody Allen movies get nominated.

5.       Lawless – Now we enter the month of August and things get serious. Lawless has a very strong cast – Shia LeBouef and Mia Wasikowska supported by Tom Hardy; Guy Pearce; the lovely Jessica Chastain and Gary Oldman. It is a Gangster film and has done well. The acting is apparently good.

6.        The Master – If you are not talking horror films; the ratings given by Roger Ebert and what i feel about a movie generally are the same. He was disappointed by The Master and that means I might be as well. But most of the other reviewers liked it and the acting is top notch – which is evident from the trailers. I however have liked all of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films – except Punch Drunk Love which i am yet to see. Still; this will definitely be in the running. Hoping Joaquin Phoenix hasn’t acted that well; for reasons i will get to.

7.       Trouble With the Curve – Clint Eastwood acting in a film he did not direct for the first time since 1993. He might have seen some potential in this. Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake also star in the film – a sports drama about a baseball coach about to retire and his daughter. It has not received positive reviews from all quarters but I’ve heard Amy Adams is very good in this.

8.       Looper – No this is not in contention for awards. Putting it here because of the overwhelming critical acclaim it has received for its use of time travel in a correct way. This is one film all of us might enjoy.  Very highly rated – some reviewers say best Sci-fi film since Moon – which was brilliant. Great cast as well.

9.       Argo – In recent years there have been a lot of political thrillers and they have been made by renowned directors and have got deserved nominations. This one is helmed by Ben Affleck and has a very interesting trailer – hence an interesting plot. Based on a hostage situation in the 1979-80 and the CIA’s plan to free them. Critical Acclaim – and Ben Affleck has always got critical acclaim.

10.   Cloud Atlas – Brilliant trailer. 164 minutes long. A ten minute standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Wachowski brothers return with a stunning/epic film.  From reviews – which are mixed tending to positive – it will be a film that divides opinion; maybe too smart for some. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry headline the trans-time film which also has Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run/ Perfume) directing with the Wachowskis.

11.   Smashed – Smashed wont win Best Picture. Well maybe it wont as it too has been rated very highly. But Mary Elizabeth Winstead has a real chance at Best Actress. Simple plot – husband and wife like to have fun and get drunk.

12.   The Sessions – John Hawkes is a fine actor. Nominated for Winter’s Bone; his performance in The Sessions received not one but two standing ovations at Sundance. Helen Hunt also stars in this film about a poet who is paralysed from the neck down and hires a sex surrogate so he can lose his virginity. This film is winning awards so a nomination is guaranteed.

13.   Lincoln – A third Oscar for a non American? Possible? Speilberg’s Lincoln will be a front runner at most awards. It is a performance driven film and Daniel Day Lewis revels in them. A fantastic cast that includes Sally Field; Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Tommy Lee Jones; Jackie Earle Hailey and potential Oscar hopefuls in Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Hawkes; I hope Speilberg delivers this time. The 65 year old hasn’t directed a live action film I would have wanted to see since Munich in 2005 (War Horse seems so boring and Indiana Jones is a part of a series) and he has not made a great film in 10 years. This could be it.

14.   Life of Pi – Ang Lee films get nominations. This has an entirely foreign cast (Tabu; Irfan Khan and Gerard Depardieu) and is based on Yann Martel’s novel. The trailer seems nice but since i have not read the book or have any idea I really do not know what to expect.

15.   Silver Linings Playbook – 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and in many critics eyes a front runner for Best Picture and strong cases for acting nods. This is a comedy Drama directed by David O’Russell (The Fighter). Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star and are supported by a cast that includes Robert De Niro. That Jennifer Lawrence can act everyone knows but if people are saying in a film this good she is the main reason to watch then she must be a favourite for the acting awards.

16.   Killing Them Softly – This just released in India – limited shows in theatres far away for me – but is releasing in the end of November in America. Weird. Because of competition from The Master it says. An all male cast headed by Brad Pitt supported by people who have played bad-asses somewhere or the other in James Gandolfini; Ray Liotta; Richard Jenkins and more this is a testosterone filled film that has been received favourably.

17.   Les Miserables – Fresh from winning Best Director for The King’s Speech; Tom Hooper returns with a musical based on the famous novel by Victor Hugo. A tremendous cast in this one; which will be released right at the end of the year to keep it fresh in the minds of the voters for the awards. Hugh Jackman; Russel Crowe; Amanda Seyfried (how she has grown from her Mean Girls days); Anne Hathaway (who cut her hair for his – but she does not look cute/prettier) and Helena Bonham Carter who somehow seems to be in almost half the movies I’ve seen.

18.   Promised Land – Gus Van Sant teams up with Matt Damon in this drama about sales people trying to buy rights to drill in a rural area. Also in this  are Frances McDormand and John (Jim) Krasinski (with roles like this and a few more during the year no wonder he has no time for The Office). The film has a limited release just before the year ends so it qualifies for the awards. With the competition I wonder why?

19.   Zero Dark Thirty – How many films this year will be directed by people who have won Best Director? Kathryn Bigelow (I saw Strange Days recently and liked it though Ralph Fiennes speaking in an American accent was hard to accept – still easier than watching Coriolanus which i have parked after fifteen minutes) directs this film about the mission to capture Osama Bin Laden. Shrouded in controversy this will make news and with Jessica Chastain as the main lead (Oscar?) I cant wait.

20.   Django Unchained – Like with Daniel Day Lewis and Lincoln; i know where my loyalties lie. No matter how good any of the above movies are; I want this to win. So many Oscar winning directors this year and my favourite of the lot has not won. I think with the content this will not give him that accolade and with the general content of Tarantino movies he wont be a favourite ever. Cool cast. Christoph Waltz; Leonardo Di Caprio; Samuel L Jackson (fixture) and Jamie Foxx as Django; this will be one hell of a ride.

There are some seriously good films coming this year. Big hitters.

Quentin Tarantino; Steven Spielberg; Tom Hooper; Kathryn Bigelow; David O’Russell; Ang Lee; Van Sant; Robert Zemeckis (Flight); Sam Mendes (Skyfall); Tykwer and the Wachowskis; Paul Thomas Anderson; Peter Jackson all have movies yet to come.

Christopher Nolan released the third of his brilliant Batman trilogy this year. Hell; even Genndy Tartakovsky (the guy who created Dexter’s Laboratory) directed his first film in Hotel Transylvania. That reminds me that i have not considered any animated films; and there surely will be one among the ten nominees.

For Best Actor you have Daniel Day-Lewis; John Hawkes; Brad Pitt; Tom Hanks; Joaquin Phoenix leading the race but someone will get nominated from the others; maybe Waltz in Django? Maybe even Bradley Cooper?

For Best Actress Amy Adams could pick from two films; maybe supporting for The Master. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jennifer Lawrence have a lot of support (both are so young – fantastic) and Jessica Chastain could get one as well. Maybe Anne Hathaway for her role in Les Miserables or Sally Field as Lincoln’s wife?

So much more to see before the awards season.

So much to look forward to.

The Horror Movie Genre - Part 3

 

Body horror makes me uncomfortable; even while writing about it.
So it is time to look at another more modern version of Horror films.

Found Footage.


Yes i've got The Blair Witch Project headlining this segment but Cannibal Holocaust was the first Found Footage film. I havent seen it. Read a lot about it and i have scrolled through it. It is the most controversial film ever made yes; but it is a landmark film. No humans were killed; but the animals were. I will leave it at that as a discussion on Cannibal Holocaust can go on forever.

Found footage films are not exclusively horror. This year had two releases in Project X and Chronicle that were raunchy and fantasy respectively; even if some people call Chronicle horror.

There was Zero Day in 2003. While not a horror it shows two boys planning to shoot up their school like the events in Columbine.

Another film that pre-dates The Blair Witch Project was Man Bites Dog. The excellent French film follows a film crew making a documentary of a serial killer.

Undoubtably it was The Blair Witch Project that made this genre so popular. Everyone has seen it; and everyone has freaked out. And everyone has copied the 'nosey-dripping' scene. While some of the success of the film is down to promoting it as having actually happened; it is well made.

There isnt a lot of leeway you get here. With handheld cameras having to be used the special effects and large sets are (mostly) cut out. Budgets are less and most of the acting has to happen for the camera. With everything having to appear natural there isnt any need for established actors as well.

Having hand held cameras means the camera can act itself. The camera can be jerked around; hit; dropped and each of these actions on the camera has an effect on the audience as in such films the audience themselves feel they are holding it and recording the situations. Plus such motion does increase the horror quotient.
It may go against the film-maker though; as you may remember that a number of people threw up at screenings of Cloverfield in the theaters because the camera moves about a hell of a lot in that film.

Now to the films that really got us scared.

When i saw REC i was blown away. As my love for movies and especially horror movies increased i became a test subject of sorts in college. It began with Saw (yeah people are too scared to see Saw). I cleared a number of films for my friends to watch and while i just told them this was scary i felt later i should have told them it wasnt. I had to walk out of my room when the characters entered the room at the top of the building (was it the attic? I cant remember) because of the religious undertones the film had developed then - I am an athiest by the way but i find religious horror pretty darn good - and i dont do that often. When my friends watched it in a group a couple of rooms away there were a number of screams and cool down walks and even a 'Paris Hilton' joke when the night vision comes on to ease the tension.

This is a brilliant film. It is one of the best; one of the 5 best horror films i have seen. When you have a pretty (Manuela Velasco is pretty) lead actress - maybe in a later post i will deal with the weak female lead that makes the movie scarier - and some very good and unexpected (not necessarily jump) scares you have a great movie. Scary children; the falling fireman; and the best use of the camera in Found Footage films.

REC 2 wasnt a disappointment and i liked it. The fact that the third film moves away from this genre into a normal cinematic perspective (although it starts as a hand held) is also a let down but its still the original creators making it.

The American remake expectedly wasnt as good. Jennifer Carpenter on screen always will remind me of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and here she isnt the one scaring you as she was there. Also the girl in the attic in the American one isnt half as scary as in the Spanish Original. That was incredibly creepy.

$15000.

Yes 15 thousand Dollars is all it took to make the film that has made almost 200 million dollars at the box office. Paranormal Activity was a blockbuster. A fad. Marketed with people's reactions in the screenings and almost wholly done virally.

I wont go into the complete logistics but it had a limited release earning half a million dollars. After viewers were asked to vote/demand for a wide release it got one to commercial and more importantly critical acclaim.

The director's own house; the actors' real names everything about the film was 'home-video'. But what else had Oren Peli done right? How could a film that cost about the same to make as your average car be such an unprecedented success - well i wont go into pornography but surely those films are major money spinners and this was almost on that level.

Like I mentioned before; when I posted about Alien and The Thing; the atmosphere in a horror film is a critical component. Roger Ebert (renowned film critic for those of you who dont know) sums up Paranormal Activity perfectly. He said most of the film has nothing happening on screen; but you dont get bored.
He even mentions - and i am of the same view - that silence and tension have the same or even more entertainment than frantic breaks and visual effects.

I am not a big fan of the over-the-top action and fantasy films. There are exceptions obviously but Michael Bay films have never been my idea of a movie day out. Watching a horror films with stalkers - and not necessarily Slasher films - is my idea of a good movie.

I had heard a lot about Paranormal Activity before i got down to watching it. I am glad to say i watched it after midnight with head-phones on to accentuate the tension and I would suggest you do the same. With headphones on it does increase involuntary signals to your head that you should be hearing something and in most of the film there is silence so you get uneasy; a tactic I use for all non-gore horror films as people screaming their lungs out in my ears isnt something i want. I first saw it with the alternate ending involving the police officers and then with the widely released ending.

The sequels to the film; Paranormal Activity 2 and 3; the latter being a prequel; lose the charm the first film had but are still worth watching. The budgets are $3 million and $5 million now as special effects have come into the picture (literally). But the anthology will go strong as a fourth film is complete and a fifth in the works.

Some other movies that fall into this genre that deserve a mention - not necessarily for quality - are -

A woman who wants to bring up her child needs money. So she becomes a stripper and in one of her first jobs she is kidnapped by a religious fanatic trying to cure her. On paper it sounds nice but the execution is pretty amateurish. There are a number of scenes in this film which are hard to forget; notably the self-castration scene. You heard that right.

Troll Hunter was a smart Norwegian film; Megan is Missing had a very pretty Megan (Rachel Quinn - In fact have you heard of a Rachel who isnt pretty?) and is based on a true story of an internet predator stalking girls. The Tunnel was a scary Australian film with another smart plot with a creature similar to The Descent (Ill get to that in the future). The Poughkeepsie Tapes was another film that promised a lot but was found wanting in substance towards the end. It was a documentary style film about the tapes found at the house of a serial killer.

How about this to end this section?

I liked watching the television show Ghost Hunters; even if they never actually found much in the name of ghosts but then again it is all about the tension isnt it? I would feel then that wouldnt it be a good idea if someone made that into a movie? You could do whatever you want with it and it is easy to show something like an episode of a show that went wrong.

Then up pops Grave Encounters!

What a creepy trailer! Will be some movie?

Not.

The biggest problem with Grave Encounters was that almost all the major scares in the film were in the fucking trailer. The concept of time lapse was well thought of but ends up being shallow. Still; worth the scares and there is a sequel coming up.

So; To conclude the Found Footage Genre -

Found footage allows you a lot of room to use the camera itself to provide scares.

It invokes a sense of real world occurences more than cinematic perspective films; which adds to the intrigue.

The simpler it is; the better it is. Special effects should not be a big part of such films but just should maybe increase the magnitude of an event that could be shown normally.

Because it doesnt cost much to make such films there are a lot of cheap; amateurish ones popping about.  

But there are some films worth waiting for. Like this one



The Horror Movie Genre - Part 2

The Body Horror Genre is a difficult one to come to terms with. I dont know what David Cronenberg is reaching for inside James Woods but it isnt good.

Yes Body Horror is all about special effects but tell that to the number of people who get nauseated at the sight of these things.

What is Body Horror?
Body Horror is where the horror parts are all something to do with something going visibly wrong with the human body. These films have no jump scares but the scares are undoubtedly visual and mental.

I have not been a big fan of the genre as the earlier films I've seen of Cronenberg repulsed me. But i consider it necessary that i mention all the horror genres here and of the few films i have scene that fall in this category i can come to a sort of conclusion.

I saw Brian Yuzna's Society as i was curious about the 'shunting' scene that has a lot of mentions in this genre. Boy was it gross. It is the sort of scene that makes you forget everything else that happened in the film.

Other films like Slither in 2006 and even Altered States in 1980 can also count as Body horror. Even The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers as there are alterations to the human body in them.

But it is almost exclusively Cronenberg. I havent seen Re-Animator (yet) and i dont know anyone else except maybe films like Basket Case and Brain Damage.

Firstly Cronenberg stopped making such films since his 1999 film eXistenz which wasnt even a horror movie in itself but had the weird disfiguration/ something entering the body scenes.

Of his films the ones i have seen are The Fly; Videodrome and Dead Ringers. And Crash obviously.

The final two are not horror films as Crash is overtly sexual with some crazy sex (and i mean crazy) and Dead Ringers is just a drama in which Cronenberg couldnt help but put one trademark scene of Genevieve Bujold biting off a cord connecting the twin Jeremy Irons' characters in a dream.

The thing about Cronenberg's films is they always get straight to the fuckin point at the start. No need for a build up. Crash starts off with the sex and The Fly with Seth Brundle asking Geena Davis' character to come home so he can show her something.

Lets stick with The Fly. When i saw it first on TV in parts; my brother called the developing Seth Brundle 'Chocolate man' and my father would tell us to sleep or Chocolate man would come. That was effective for nealry 4 years.
I finally got down to watching The Fly in full 3 years ago and i could appreciate it.

Cronenberg's films were in the late 70s and 80s and people must have been very uncomfortable and grossed out watching these things happening to the human body - before the magic of computerized animation.
It is great that his latest films from A History of Violence to his latest A Dangerous Method are all very good but completely different from his early offerings.
BUT apparently his son Brandon just directed his own film Antiviral which is a body horror. In the genes?