/slash 2015 – Day 3: Uncle Kent 2

Posted on September 22, 2015 by cornholio1980

Uncle Kent 2Uncle Kent 2
USA 2015
Written by Kent Osborne
Directed by Todd Rohal
Watched on 19.09.2015

Like 99.9 percent of moviegoers, I’ve never seen “Uncle Kent”. Fortunately, it’s not really necessary in order to watch – and enjoy – the sequel. It starts off with Kent approaching his old buddy Joe Swanberg (who directed the first one, was well as the first couple of minutes of this) with an idea for a sequel, but Joe politely declines, and says that he should go ahead and find another director. After that, we accompany Kent Osborne to San Diego, where he visits Comic-Con, and sooner rather than later, things get really crazy.

I haven’t seen “The Catechism Cataclysm”, but from what I gathered after the “Uncle Kent 2”-screening, this is very much in the same vein. It’s very strange and surreal, starting off with a great, hilarious and visually stunning dream sequence, and later constantly bringing more and more weird, dream- or nightmare-like elements into – seemingly – the real world. At its core is the theory that everything – our lives, our world – is just a simulation, a thought that might have crossed all our minds after we saw “The Matrix”. Then again, it’s equally possible that it’s all in his head, and that his slowly losing his mind. Or maybe, it’s just his imagination running wild while searching for an “Uncle Kent”-sequel. Or is it all a dream? What you should know going in is that “Uncle Kent 2” doesn’t really offer an explanation for what is going on. It’s very much open for interpretation, but I have to say that in this case, it was so surreal, wacky and weird, that the explanation behind it doesn’t really matter to me. I didn’t put much thought into it, either during or after the movie, since in my book, it doesn’t really matter. What matters that I was quite entertained. I thought that this weird mix of different elements had an undeniably charm to it, and there were a couple of scenes that I found quite funny (with the biking accident and the Weird Al-cameo – I’m a huge fan of his – particular standouts). I also liked the setting at San Diego Comic-Con, which – like “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope” – offered a glimpse into geek-mekka, which I probably will never visit myself (since it’s just too overcrowded for my taste). My only major complaint is the masturbation-scene at the end, since it went on far too long, totally overstaying it’s welcome. It stopped being funny long before it was finally over, and all I could think of was “Dude, would you please finally come?”. Plus, this is arguably more a hodgepodge of ideas, which however don’t necessarily amount to a coherent, convincing whole. Overall, I found “Uncle Kent 2” to be quite charming and funny. If you’re into weird shit, I’d definitely recommend it.
6/10


IMDB

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/slash 2015 – Day 3: Masters of the Universe

Posted on September 21, 2015 by cornholio1980

Masters of the UniverseMasters of the Universe
USA 1987
Written by David Odell
Directed by Gary Goddard
Watched on 19.09.2015

“Masters of the Universe” is one of the most-watched movies of my life – due to the fact that it was one of the very few films that we had at home on VHS (taped from TV). Since we only had two channels (the two austrian national television channels) when I grew up, and they never showed “Star Wars” there (and we didn’t have any purchased VHS-tapes), “Masters of the Universe” (together with “Spaceballs”, which I adore to this day) was my substitute drug. I absolutely loved it as a child (the fact that I never was that much into “He-Man”, thus not even noticing that it didn’t really have that much to do with the animated show and/or audio dramas, might have helped with that). A couple of years back, when the Blu-Ray came out, I decided to give it another go (after like 20 years), and as you can imagine, it was a rather disillusioning affair. I was still able to enjoy it because of its trashy charm, but I couldn’t help noticing all those errors and problems that just don’t register when you are a child. Nevertheless, when they announced a retro-screening of “Masters of the Universe” for this years /slash Filmfestival, I knew that I had to be there.

Before we get to the movie itself, a short rant: I don’t get the obsession with some parts of film culture with 35mm. Don’t get me wrong, if the copy is in incredibly good shape, or if a movie might not be available otherwise, I understand it if you do a 35mm screening. Otherwise, it’s “digital cinema FTW” for me – and this screening of “Masters of the Universe” unfortunately affirmed me in that. The 35mm print was in rather bad shape, with lots of grain and noise in the picture, some reels had a very noticeable purple tint to them, and to top it all off, we had three film tears, which totally disrupted the flow of the movie. Seriously, if the movie would have stopped one more time afterwards, I would have stood up and left. Why not simply get the permission to show it and grab a Blu-Ray? Hell, I would have lended them mine free of charge! I’m pretty sure shipping the 35mm print over from London wasn’t cheap, and in this case, it just wasn’t worth it. Personally, if it’s not something that I absolutely have to see and there’s no chance to see it any other way, I’m done with 35mm. I actually think it’s insulting to the filmmakers which poured a lot of time and effort into the movie, and whose work – sets, cinematography, costumes etc. – you can’t really appreciate anymore on a crappy print. In my very humble opinion, this 35mm-obsession is one form of cinematic nostalgia that we very well could do without. Rant over, let’s get back to the movie.

I have to say that this time, forewarned of what would await me, I liked it a little better than I did three years ago, when my child- and my adult-self fought quite bitterly within me (“Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast.”), and where my expectations were tainted by nostalgia. Now I pretty much knew what I was getting into, including the sometimes blatant plagiarism of “Star Wars” (Skeletor feels like a blend of Darth Vader and the Emperor, throws force-lightning-similar beams unto He-Man, and his demise is practically identical to Palpatine’s; Gwindor is reminiscent of Yoda; and the stormtroopers got a new paint job and are now black), the rather slow and weak middle part, the overall trashyness of it all, and that extremely kitschy ending that actually kinda ruins the entire movie when you realize that the cosmic key is able to bring someone back in time (which raises the question why they didn’t already do that in the beginning). This time, it didn’t really matter, though. The audience I saw it with definitely also had an influence on that. This is just one of those movies that you have to watch with an enthusiastic audience who cheer and laugh and clap – even (or especially) on the more silly parts.

Other things I already appreciated three years back, and again did so now: The great costumes, the lavish sets, the overall effects work, the great Skeletor-mask, Frank Langella’s incredibly charismatic performance, and Bill Conti’s grandiose (in every sense of the word) score, which is one of my all-time favorites (and which I’m listening to right now while writing this). There also is an undeniably charm to it all. It’s very good-natured, has a couple of truly funny moments, and even though they might ultimately fail here and there, you can at least see that they tried, and really put a lot of effort into the entire film. My favorite part of it, however, is the last act. The rest of the movie might require a moderate trash-tolerance-level, but the last thirty minutes of so (after He-Man’s capture) are absolutely great. There’s a lot of tension, things look incredibly dire, by then I really felt a connection to all of the characters, and the final showdown in Greyskull is incredibly well shot. Overall, after the rather sobering experience of watching this for the first time after 20 years, this retro-screening of “Masters of the Universe” managed to again conciliate me with the movie. I’m not sure if it really has “the power”, but if you manage to just go with it, it can be quite entertaining even today.
7/10


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/slash 2015 – Day 2: As Fábulas Negras (The Black Fables)

Posted on September 21, 2015 by cornholio1980

The Black FablesAs Fábulas Negras
BR 2014
Written by Rodrigo Aragão, Petter Baiestorf, Joel Caetano & Cesar Coffin Souza
Directed by Rodrigo Aragão, Petter Baiestorf, Joel Caetano, Marcelo Castanheira & José Mojica Marins
Watched on 14.09.2015

“As Fábulas Negras” is a horror anthology from Brazil. Like with all anthologies, the quality of the individual segments varies a bit. Before watching it, you should also be aware that this was shot for very little money, is extremely “indie”, and thus might come off a little amateurish here and there. Plus, there’s a cheap digital look throughout – due to the cameras that they used – that I found extremely noticeable, and that’s a little bit at war with the “once upon a time”-VHS-look that they seemed to be going for in the individual stories. Despite that, though, it’s a notable effort worth taking a look at.

One thing that I really liked about it was the framing device, with kids telling themselves horror stories/urban legends. It immediately excuses some of the more unbelievable/far-fetched/crude elements of the individual stories. I also loved the first shot, with the children playing out some fantasy-story with plastic weapons and in costumes. It immediately brought me back to my own childhood. As for the individual segments: In my opinion, the first one was by far the weakest – but that’s very likely due to the fact that I’m not big on toilet humor and stuff like that, which is why I had a hard time with it, and found it mostly disgusting, but not much else. At least the twist at the end was nice. The second story was far better in my opinion. I loved some of the dialogue (“Whatever it is, we’re going to solve it with bullets”), and the re-transformation scene at the end will stick with me for a while, since it was quite different from what we’re used to from werewolf-movies. My only complaint is that the identity of the werwolf was quite obvious. Other than that, it was an entertaining tale. The Saci-story also was quite nice. I loved that they kept the question of if the monster really exist or if she’s crazy at least rudimentarily open (even though I’ll admit that they strongly indicate the former), and the scenes in the woods were quite atmospheric. The parents were a little clichéd and annoying, but I guess that was the point. Overall, it was ok. My favorite segment, by far, was the boarding school. It had a couple of really scary moments, some well-made jump scares, a great (if not very original) story, and it also featured a couple of surprising twists and turns along the way. Of all the stories, that was the one that I’d be interested in watching again in the foreseeable future. The final segment was quite original, since it did without any spoken words, but I felt that it was a little too short to really do its story justice. And the finale with the kids was… ok, I guess, even though I could have done without that final twist. Overall, though, I found it to be quite unique and charming, so if you’re not dead-set against trashy indie horror and are able to look past its cheap production values, you’ll get a varied horror anthology that offers a nice glimpse into brazilian folklore.
6/10


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/slash 2015 – Day 2: Deathgasm

Posted on September 20, 2015 by cornholio1980

DeathgasmDeathgasm
NZ 2015
Written by Jason Lei Howden
Directed by Jason Lei Howden
Watched on 18.09.2015

First, a word of warning: I’m not a “metalhead”, for whom – by writer/director Jason Lei Howden’s own admission – this movie was primarily made for. Thus, I’m not the main target audience, and probably not the best/right guy to review it. Then again, for those non-metalheads like myself outhere, it might be interesting if the movie works even though you don’t count yourself to this elect group of people – a question that I can answer with a subdued “Yes”.

What I probably liked the most is the concept, and the self-ironic idea behind it. I mean, we all know those people who claim that metal is the work of Satan, every metalhead a devil worshipper, and that this kind of music will bring the end of the world as we know it. “Deathgasm” now has fun with this prejudices by proving them right in an extremely exxagerated way. When Zakk and Brodie visit the shack of the leader of a legendary metal band, they stumble upon some sheets of music that look extremely old. And when they start to play them, they bring about the end of the world, and then have to find a way to stop it. Even though the idea of satanic music leading to some form of possession is not entirely new (“Lords of Salem” comes to mind, and I’m sure that horror buffs could tell you many more examples), it still worked for me. I also liked the setup, and the first half of the movie offers up a couple of neat ideas and very funny moments. Unfortunately, the second half didn’t really manage to live up to that. By the time the apocalpyse is upon them, one splatter scene follows another, and while they were all very well done, it got old pretty quickly, and also felt slightly repetitive here and there. Overall, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they started to run out of – new, fresh, funny – ideas long before the movie finally ended. Other times, they simply milk their ideas for a little too long, like with the sextoy-fight. It’s great and funny when it starts, but it just goes on for too long, and overstays its welcome. The showdown also was kinda of a letdown. It might have to do with the fact that they had to shoot it in a single night, since they ran out of time, but I didn’t find it particularly funny, clever and/or gripping. So overall, I guess my reaction to “Deathgasm” is a little like my reaction to metal music in itself: At first, it’s quite intruiging and interesting, but when I listen to it for too long, it starts to get a little dull.
6/10


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/slash 2015 – Day 2: We Are Still Here

Posted on September 20, 2015 by cornholio1980

We Are Still HereWe Are Still Here
USA 2015
Written by Ted Geoghegan
Directed by Ted Geoghegan
Watched on 18.09.2015

“We Are Still Here” starts off rather formularic, and even though it slighty shifts gear towards the end, it ultimately proves that “formularic” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “bad”. From the get-go, what really stands out is the incredible tension that Ted Geoghegan builds whenever we’re in the house. He perfectly combines quiet, suspenseful scenes with clever, well-built and highly effective jump scares (I might not be their biggest fan, but have no quarrel with them if they’re as well-made as they are here). I also loved the design of the “family” – as someone who doesn’t know every horror movie ever produced in and out, it looked and felt quite original, and it was also nicely alluded to with the heat and the smell in the basement.

What also sets this apart from other, similar movies is that the main protagonists aren’t some teenagers or a young couple that movies in to start their life together, but rather a slightly older couple who have just suffered a terrible loss and now want to start a new life and leave this tragedy behind. As my dear blogger-friend Maynard said, a more mature couple reacts totally different to something like this than younger ones. I also liked that it was set in 1979, immediately – and quite cleverly – eliminating problems of modern horror movies like “Why don’t they use their cellphones?”. The last thing that stood out for me is the fact that after a creepy, effective beginning, “We Are Still Here” turns into a bloody gore-fest – something that, as least to my limited knowledge, is rather unusual for a ghost house-horror movie, and which totally surprised me (but not in a bad way). The only things that I’d critisize are the slightly clichéd reactions of the towns people in the bar/restaurant (even though, as we later find out, they have a very good reason for reacting the way they did), as well as the rather swift disposal of two certain characters (you should know whom I’m speaking of if you’ve seen the movie). Other than that, though, it was an incredibly creepy movie, with lots of cool ideas, great individual moments, some stunning cinematography, a nice suspenseful atmosphere, lots of well-made and highly effective – but never cheap – jump scares, some more than decent acting, and a couple of intensely scary scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended!
8/10


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/slash 2015 – Day 2: Pod

Posted on September 19, 2015 by cornholio1980

PodPod
USA 2015
Written by Mickey Keating
Directed by Mickey Keating
Watched on 18.09.2015

“Pod” is undeniably the single worst movie that I’ve ever seen on a /slash Filmfestival. Loud, hysteric, obnoxious and annoying as fuck, I was this close to getting up and leaving – and in all probability would have done so if it wouldn’t have been the first movie of the day.

One of my main issues with “Pod” was how aggressive the sound mix was. Mickey Keating mistakes “loud” with “suspenseful”, stringing together one cheap jump scare after another, which mostly come totally out of the blue, without any buildup. I guess he wanted to convey terror, instead it just seemed incredibly helpless and amateurish to me. The characters also are far too exaggerated and annoying. Martin was just buck-wild crazy, Lyla was far too hysterical and quickly got on my nerves with her constant screeching, and Ed had the problem that the audience just knew right away that Martin – despite his paranoid tendencies – definitely had some kind of dangerous creature locked up in the basement, which inevitably made him look like a dick. Also, kudos for taking the booze away from your addicted, alcoholic sister, thus forcing her to go cold turkey while sending her into an extremely disturbing and stressful situation. What also got on my nerves was the far too extensive discussion going on after they entered the cabin. Seriously, when you have a guy who claims that he captured something and imprisoned it in the basement, just open up the fucking basement and see for yourself. Case closed. Don’t pussyfoot around for half an hour. It also didn’t help that some of them sometimes had to act incredibly stupid for the movie to progress the way Mickey Keating wanted it to. Disabling the car was especially dumb, and was simply justified with an incredibly lame “Well, that guy’s crazy”.

I also found the whole movie to be incredibly foreseeable, from the question of what exactly Martin has found in the woods, to the twist with the car that Lyla stops when looking for help, up to the way the movie ultimately ended. Also – and granted, with everything else wrong with the movie, that’s nothing more than a nitpick, but I want to mention it all the same – I’m no electrian, but when you turn off a device like, say, a TV, and then you have a short-circuit, and you turn the power on again… why would the previously switched off TV suddenly turn on again? And while we’re at it: From whose point of view was the very last scene of the movie shot? I guess it was supposed to be us, the audience, but plot-wise, it didn’t make any sense. Ultimately, it’s only good scene was the walk into the basement, where they finally, for a couple of minutes, forwent the loud, aggressive and obnoxious approach of the rest of the movie, and let silence reign. And suddenly, for a very short time, the movie worked for me, was tense and suspenseful. It also was quite well shot, with the red light above and the blueish light from the flashlight in the otherwise dark basement. However, in a way, it only made the rest of the movie all the more frustrating, because for three minutes or so, Mickey Keating proved that he would have known how it works. Ultimately, though, the rest of the movie was annoying to such an extent that even this short, single nice scene couldn’t save it for me.
1/10


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/slash 2015 – Day 1: The Invitation

Posted on September 19, 2015 by cornholio1980

The InvitationThe Invitation
USA 2015
Written by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi
Directed by Karyn Kusama
Watched on 17.09.2015

At every party – dinner or otherwise – there has to be a party pooper… and this time, it’s me. While pretty much all of my /slash-friends liked “The Invitation”, which was chosen for this years opening night, I’m afraid that I couldn’t look past the fact that I knew where this was going 30 minutes in, and especially that of two paths suggested, they didn’t choose the one I hoped that they would follow.

Before we get to that, though (and thus, inevitably, into spoiler-territory), let’s first talk about the things that did work for me: While the characters didn’t always react in the most clever way (seriously, I would have gotten the fuck outta there long before the shit hit the fan), they were nevertheless well-sketched and believable. I especially liked the gay couple, but overall, each and every one of them had his/her own, unique personality, and the movie does a good job with introducing them. The acting also was spot-on. I especially enjoyed the intense performance by Logan Marshall-Green (who’s a dead ringer for Tom Hardy with that beard), but Michiel Huisman (aka everyone’s favorite Daario Naharis), Tammy Blanchard, Lindsay Burdge and John Carroll Lynch were equally great. It’s also incredibly well shot, and offers up a couple of nice images. Finally, Karyn Kusama definitely knows how to create tension. From the beginning, a sense of uneasiness befalls the viewer – just like it does Will, which means that she really manages to get us into his head – and subsequently, the feeling of dread and claustrophobia intensifies, before it culminates into flat-out terror. The last stretch of the movie is incredibly strong and gripping, with a couple of very tense moments – Karyn Kusama definitely knows how to create suspense, and I’d love to see what she could do when she gets her hands on a better script – but I’m afraid by that time, the movie had already lost me.

——————————— SPOILERS AHEAD ———————————

Now, granted, knowing – or at least very strongly suspecting – early on what is going to happen doesn’t have to ruin a movie. For example, seeing “Ich seh ich seh” (aka “Goodnight Mommy”) for a second time, obviously already knowing where it would ultimately lead, didn’t have any negative effect whatsoever. It still worked like a charm. Probably one of the reasons why that didn’t matter so much there is that it was only a reveal for us, the viewers, but not for the protagonists. The problem with it being the other way around, like in “The Invitation”, where I knew where this was going far sooner than any of the characters suspected anything, is that when the twist is as blatantly obvious as it was here – at least for me – you really start wondering why the fuck all those people at the dinner party (Will not withstanding) didn’t start to suspect something similar along the way. I mean, come on. You’re dealing with a fucking cult, the people who invited you also brought in some creepy dudes that you don’t know. They talk about pain being a choice, and finding a way to end it, and then you see the video of the dying woman who can’t wait to get reunited with her loved ones. And still, no one’s afraid that their friends-turned-cultists may ave similar plans? Gimme a break. And that’s just it: The problem is not that I saw it coming from a mile away, but that no one else did. Even Will only was slightly suspicious, but hadn’t figured it all out until he saw the second video. And that’s just were the asshole-part of myself kicks in and says: It’s your own damn fault for being so stupid, thank heavens for removing your idiocy from the gene pool, so don’t expect any sympathy from me.

But even that wasn’t my biggest gripe with the movie. Instead it was the fact that along the way, they suggested taking a different road: That Will is overly suspicious, bordering on paranoid, because of the fact that he’s returning to the house where he lost his son, something that troubles him deeply. Combine that with the fact that he feels that said death was his fault because he didn’t protect him, and you have the perfect setup for a character that now sees danger lurking everywhere – even it it’s not there. A revelation that I would have preferred for multiple reason: First, after the opening speech of the festival director, mentioning the fear of the foreign and unknown (which then gets boosted instrumentalized by political parties for their own gain), it was a little weird to see a movie that confirms the fear of its main protagonist. That just didn’t gel at all. Furthermore, I think that it would have been more surprising – especially since they tipped their hand so obviously early on – and also more original. This in a way goes back to some of my /slash reviews from last year, where I mentioned that when a movie offers up a supernatural explanation and a down-to-earth one – in 99 of 100 cases we get a definitive answer (which in this case wasn’t the problem), and in 98 of 99 cases, they go with the supernatural. Now if you drop the supernatural angle, you could simply break it down to “The character is right and the danger is real” or “the character is wrong/paranoid” – and again, the 98/99/100-rule would apply (meaning in 1% we never know for sure, and in another 1% the danger is only imaginary). Thus, I would have preferred to get a 1-in-100 instead of a 98-in-100 story.

Lastly, it’s also a simple matter of taste. In this particular case, I would have preferred it if Will would have been paranoid, since I would have found that more meaningful – given the fact that he’s still dealing with a great loss. Him not being able to let go, and as a result now being overprotective, seeing danger everywhere, and thus creating some sort of disaster – and through that even more pain, for himself and for others – …I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I would have found that awesome. Unfortunately, as soon as they offered up the Troy-revelation (2/3rds into the movie) it was clear that this was not the way they were going, and in my opinion, that’s a damn shame. Finally, there were a couple of other problems that I had with the movie, that further hurt it in my opinion. For example, I’m not quite sure what the sense/meaning of the coyote-scene at the beginning was. In my opinion, you would lose nothing if you’d simply take it out, and start directly at the house. Also, what’s with the flashback/vision/whatever that Will has after he sees Sadie for the first time, where she’s seemingly hurt and standing over a sink? At first I thought that she was a previous acquaintance of his, who now stalked his ex-wife, but obviously, that wasn’t it. What else could it mean, though? Or was it simply put in as a red herring, but without any logical reason for being there within the framework of the story? If someone can explain that to me, fire away in the comments (it didn’t have any real impact on my rating anyway; it’s more of an observation, but as point of criticism, it’s negligible). Despite all that, however, I was willing to give this one a 5/10, since it was really well shot and the finale was very strong. And then came the final shot. I mean, of course I knew that they had to follow up that weird scene with the pink lantern (“In blackest day, in darkest night, I’ll kill myself, and be alright.”?) with something, but… that revelation just didn’t work for me. I actually had to restrain myself from not laughing out loud, since I didn’t want to ruin this moment for everyone else. Seriously, that was just silly and ridiculous. So, overall, this was not the most promising start of this years /slash Filmfestival for me.
4/10

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Prelude to /slash #05: Maggie

Posted on September 18, 2015 by cornholio1980

MaggieMaggie
USA 2015
Written by John Scott 3
Directed by Henry Hobson
Watched on 29.08.2015

I’m a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I own all of his films, and have seen all of them at least once. I do believe that, compared to his “counterpart” Sylvester Stallone – he overall chose the more interesting and ultimately better movies (even though not all of them were great), and I especially like that he really gives his all in each and every film. You will find not a single performance in his career where he phoned it in. There may be better actors than him – but about how many of them can you say the same? Accordingly, I was really looking forward to “Maggie” (as I do to all of his films), especially since for probably the first time in his career, his acting got some real praise. Thus, you’ll be able to comprehend my disappointment when I found out that his newest feature wouldn’t get a cinematic release over here, instead being dumped direct-to-DVD. Also, my faint hope that it would be shown at the /slash Filmfestival turned out to be unwarranted (this is why this now is the fifth and final “Prelude to /slash”-review). Ultimately, I went out to grab the Blu-Ray one day after its release – and together with special guests Harry and his girlfriend – started to watch it. That’s how excited I was about finally seeing it. And while it might not have been the masterpiece that I was secretly hoping for, I nevertheless wasn’t disappointed.

In order to put my opinion of the film into the right perspective you have to know that I’m not only a huge fan of Arnie’s, but also that I love movies in (post-)apocalyptic settings. Because of that, this movie, from the get-go, was already in my good books. I also like it when filmmakers take the – otherwise rather worn-out – zombie-thematic and manage to squeeze new life out of it, by finding a different approach from what we’re used to. Ultimately, “Maggie” uses the zombie-theme to tell a story about a grave and deadly illness, and how hard it is for a father – but also his daughter herself – to deal with that. You probably could have told a similar story about cancer, but the zombie-theme definitely gives it a different spin that makes it stand out – especially since because of it, the longer Wade keeps his daughter with him, the more he puts himself and the other people of the community in danger. Thus, there’s a conflict of interests and of emotions that you wouldn’t have got with a more grounded illness. I also loved the slow pace of the movie. Some may find it sluggish and dull, and I’m certain that a couple of Arnie-fans who expect more traditional Schwarzenegger-fare will be put off by the slow pace, the overall tone as well as the almost complete lack of action. But I for one just loved the fact that it totally defied said expectations, instead offering something that’s so not what you’d picture when contemplating a Schwarzenegger-zombie-flick. I also loved the really dark and depressing mood of the piece. They’re not using the setup for a chase where Schwarzenegger is racing to get a cure, or anything like that. His daughter is dying, and there’s nothing that he can do about it, expect to try to deal with it, make the time that she still has got as pleasant and possible, and then, ultimately, when the time comes, put her out of her misery.

That last part was especially haunting for me. Wade learns that the euthanizing method that they use at the camps is far from painless, which is why his doctor-friend strongly advises him to instead to it himself – quick and painless. Something that Wade, understandably, dreads. It’s bad enough when you have to let go of a close relative in order to spare them more suffering, but to actually pull the trigger yourself? I can’t think of anything worse. Thus, Wade’s dilemma really gripped me – especially since the dynamic between father and daughter was really great. Breslin and Schwarzenegger have some great chemistry together (similarly to Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke in “Terminator: Genisys” – I guess having kids himself helped him with that), and both gave some really strong performances. Yes, that includes Arnold. He’ll never be the best actor in the world, but he’s really great in this. Very subdued, but you can always see the emotions lurking right behind his eyes. Also, his real-life experiences might have helped with a couple of scenes (like when he remembers his wife). Overall, I’d say that this was the best acting performance of his entire career so far – and in a role that you wouldn’t immediately associate with him. The last major asset of the movie is Henry Hobson, who shoots this with a lot of style, and offers a couple of beautiful and/or haunting images (with the burning cornfield a particular standout). It’s not perfect, though. I felt that the teenager-storyline didn’t reach quite the same heights as Wade’s story/plight did. I really could have done without the “evil” stepmom. And, finally, I’m also a little torn about the ending. On the one hand, it’s a beautiful way to end the movie, and was also quite original. On the other hand, I’m not sure if another conclusion (purposely staying vague in order to avoid spoilers) wouldn’t have been more dramatic – especially after all that build-up. My biggest complaint, though, was the saccharin fade-to-white, or rather, what came afterwards. I really wish they wouldn’t have done that. It was far too kitschy and didn’t really fit the great, dark and somber mood of the rest of the movie. So overall, it wasn’t quite the highlight that I was hoping for – but nevertheless I felt that it was a successful, worthy addition to Arnold Schwarzeneggers ever-growing filmography.
7/10


IMDB

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Prelude to /slash #04: Scream 4

Posted on September 17, 2015 by cornholio1980

Scream 4Scream 4
USA 2011
Written by Kevin Williamson
Directed by Wes Craven
Watched on 13.09.2015

11 years after “Scream 3”, at a time when arguably no one was expecting, let alone anticipating, another sequel, “Scream 4” (I’ll ignore the stupid “Scre4m”-title in my review, thankyouverymuch) was released – and while overall, it wasn’t that well received, I for one really like it, and think that it’s the second best of the series, falling short only of the original. Contrary to the hugely disappointing third one, they brought Kevin Williamson back to write the script, which probably is one of the main reason why this was more in line with the first two, quality wise, than with “Scream 3”. Also, Wes Craven – who had some atonement of his own to do after the abysmal “My Soul to Take” – once again sat down in the director’s chair, redeeming himself once more in his career – albeit, unfortunately, for the last time.

“Scream 4” was a step up from the weak third one in every way, and definitely seemed to be very much in line with the first two. This already starts at the beginning, which – contrary to “Scream 3” – managed to grip me right away, cleverly commenting on the overabundance of twists in horror movies after the success of “The Sixth Sense”. I already liked the short part of “Stab 6” that we get to see, but to reveal that this was actually the beginning of “Stab 7” really was a nice touch. They don’t stop there, however, and instead feature yet another twist (in a scene that gives us a cameo by Kirsten Bell and Anna Paquin). The rest of the movie also features a couple of nice, new and clever ideas, like the phone app that allows pretty much everyone to sound like Ghostface. Later on, they also comment on the uprising of torture porn, found footage, and the fact that in the last decade, horror movies overall became much more graphic – illustrated, for example, with one blood-soaked room that – despite much more brutal horror movies that were released between the first “Scream” and this one – still managed to shock and repulse me. I also liked the statement that in the new millennium, the rules have changed. That added an element of uncertainty to the proceedings. Overall, the movie did a great job to convince me that this time, everything is possible, and everyone – including Sydney – is a viable victim. Which is one of the main reasons why I found it so suspenseful and gripping. And, lest not forget: After “Scream 3”, where they totally overdid the humor, this – despite a couple of funny moments – finally felt like an honest-to-got horror thriller again. Whatever you may think of the movie otherwise, but tonally, it’s definitely the closest to the original – something that I very much appreciated. Another strength that it shares with (all) his predecessors are the performances. I once again felt that everyone here was great, with not a single weak link to be found in the impressively huge ensemble. They also, again, feature a nice mix of already-well-established actors and actresses, as well as a couple of new talents that used this as a starting point to get more/bigger roles in the years since.

There also are a couple of scenes again that were cleverly set up – like the one where the killer calls them and tells them that he’s hiding in the closet. That was quite an intense moment, which led to a great revelation that I won’t give away here, but which was also staged very well. I also loved the bit at the secret “Stab”-screening. The atmosphere that they captured there of people being in a room celebrating something that they know and love really spoke to me. It’s an experience that, thanks to film festivals like “/slash” and/or retro-screenings, I could relate to. Plus, the fact that Ghostface seemingly filmed his dirty deeds this time gave this a new, interesting angle. I also loved how unpredictable the movie was when it came to the question of who would live or die, and in which order they would perish. Which, in a way, finally brings us to its last and also one of its biggest strengths: I absolutely loved, loved, loved, loved, loved the reveal regarding the killer. On first viewing, that really catched me totally unaware, and had me going like… “Whaaaaaaaaat?”. It also was the first time that I felt that the killer’s motivation was plausible and reasonable – fucked up as it might be. Plus, it also included some nice social commentary that I appreciated. Pretty much my only major gripe with “Scream 4” is that I wished they would have had the guts to end it seven minutes sooner – which also would have fit perfectly to the new millenia’s horror trend of dark(er) endings. If they would have stopped at a certain scene and afterwards only would have shown the reporters in front of the hospital, it would have been perfect. Also, the criticism of the media that lies therein would have been even more damning. Granted, the “Don’t fuck with the original”-line was great, so it’s not like everything that came afterwards sucked. But had they ended the movie where I wish they had, “Scream 4” might have even been able to catch up with the original (at least in my book). As it stands, though, it’s nevertheless a great sequel that I believe to be vastly underappreciated.
8/10


IMDB

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Prelude to /slash #03: Scream 3

Posted on September 16, 2015 by cornholio1980

Scream 3Scream 3
USA 2000
Written by Ehren Kruger
Directed by Wes Craven
Watched on 11.09.2015

With “Scream 3”, they might have gone a little overboard with their meta-approach. I mean, we all know that it’s one of the unwritten rules of cinema that many last parts of a trilogy suck, or at least, aren’t quite as good as its predecessors (“Alien³”, “Back to the Future III”, “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome”, “Matrix: Revolutions”, “The Godfather Part 3″… just to name a few). But instead of just pointing this out, and exploring why they sometimes suck, they instead went ahead and actually MADE a lackluster threequel that’s vastly inferior to the previous ones. 😕

Kidding aside (since I’m not really suggesting that they went ahead and made a bad sequel on purpose), “Scream 3” unfortunately falls short on so many levels. It’s difficult to figure out where to put the blame, but I think that the fact that Kevin Williamson didn’t return to write the script definitely is one of the main issues here. Whenever they try to be as clever as the first two, the mostly fall flat on their noses. For example, what made the first two so great when they analyzed the typical standards and tropes of horror films is that they were right, and evidently so. Even people who never really put that much thought into it probably had to concede that, yes, when people say “I’ll be right back”, they usually get killed, and the only ones surviving a typical slasher-movie are the pure and chaste ones. Here, however, they try to find rules about the last part of trilogies, and it all feels incredibly forced, and didn’t convince me at all. For example, all that stuff about revelations in the third one about something that happened in the original, which then kinda puts everything in a new light. Above, I’ve mentioned five threequels, and in none of them you’ll find something like that. And even if you might be able to find a couple of instances where something like that actually happened, for it to be a recognizable trope it would have to be far more common. I also didn’t like the way they gave the audience this information, via a videotape of a previously killed person. This also felt incredibly forced, and if they at least would have used a different character for that, it might have gone down with me more easily. But the way that it was, pretty much everything about it rubbed me the wrong way.

Ultimately, though, that’s just a side issue (even though the cleverness of the first two is sorely missed). Where “Scream 3” really drops the ball, though, is tone. Where “Scream” and “Scream 2” managed to be funny without turning into a straight-out comedy, this time the humor is far too predominant, giving the movie a tone that’s more in line with the “Scary Movie”-franchise than the “Scream”-series. It’s also very exaggerated, especially with the often completely hysteric reactions by Parker Posey and Emily Mortimer (it’s really too bad that they couldn’t get Tori Spelling back). And overall, there just was far too much humor and far too little tension in this one. Oh, and that Jay and Silent Bob cameo – what the fuck? After the great prologues of the first two movies, I was also very disappointed by the lackluster way this one started. That Ghostface can now simulate other people’s voices might have been a new idea – but in my book, it was a stupid idea, so no points there. I also didn’t like their flirt with the supernatural, even though it’s exposed as a misconception at the end (that’s another alleged threequel-rule that I couldn’t agree with: Don’t supernatural, unstoppable killers usually start out that way, or at least prove themselves to be pretty much immortal when returning in the sequel after a seemingly definite death in the first one?). Also, for the third time now, the motivation of the person behind the mask wasn’t wholly convincing. And I really wish they would have forgone that stupid way in which they connected the story here with the murder of Sydney’s mum – another terrible idea in a movie that, unfortunately, is full of them. But that was definitely one of the worst. Finally, while I already wasn’t big on the one final rise of the bad guy in the previous ones, I really wish they wouldn’t have done it yet another time here, since the moment right before that actually would have been a perfect way to end the movie (or at least that scene). It also would have been way more original, and – in a way – more surprising (since by then, everyone expected the killer to come back one last time).

It’s not all bad, though. Again, I very much liked the acting, and as much as I already liked her in the first two parts, but I really think that you can see Neve Campbell growing even better with each and every movie. They also did a good job again with casting, finding a couple of new talents that went ahead to far bigger roles afterwards. And I really loved the Carrie Fisher-cameo, so that was one of the gags that worked for me. I also liked the idea of Sydney working for a “women in crisis”-hotline. Despite my criticism of the aforementioned trilogy-rules presented here, there actually are a couple of nice observations and criticisms about Hollywood, like a 35-year-old woman playing a 21-year-old character, or John Milton’s line that it’s no place for the innocent. And apart from the aforementioned scene with the killer rising up once again, the ending of this movie was pretty much perfect. One of my favorite things about “Scream 3”, though, is the fact that instead of getting drawn into the proceedings, it’s more or less Sydney’s choice to get involved. Yes, that would have worked even better if the killer wouldn’t have called her (which implied that he might also know – or be able to find out – where she lives), but nevertheless, I really liked this, because the fact that she came to face this danger, instead of waiting for danger to find her, made the character much stronger. By far my favorite part of the movie, however, is the scene with Sydney in the studio, on the Woodsboro-set. That really was clever, and – in the way one set led into another – also had a surreal touch. It was the only really gripping moment of the entire movie, and the only scene where “Scream 3” managed to live up to its predecessors. Other than that, though, it’s a hugely disappointing sequel that would haven been a poor and unworthy conclusion to the series.
4/10


IMDB

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