Scan and Pan
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Other Boleyn Girl
The scheming Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) seeks to increase his family's position by offering his niece Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to be the mistress of Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Although there are immediate sparks between the two, the Duke of Norfolk considers Anne a liability after an accident that causes the King to be injured and instead aims to have her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) replace her in the King's affections.
Director Justin Chadwick (responsible for multiple episodes of British television's Bleak House) earns high marks for how he visualizes the story, but deserves failing marks for how he handles it as a drama. It plays out very predictably, full of melodrama bordering on the risible at times and about as deep an exploration of its characters as a piece of tissue paper. The surprising thing is that Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen) has contributed such a weak screenplay. Granted, it's based on someone else's novel, but one expects better from a proven screenwriter. Never have I been so pleased to see someone's head removed from their body as I was when Anne Boleyn experiences that fate here, because it meant that my suffering through two hours of tedium was finally at an end.
The best part of the film is the beautiful lighting of cinematographer Kieran McGuigan (a veteran of British television shows like Bleak House and Spooks) that reminds one of the great Baroque paintings. There are so many scenes that could be freeze framed and placed on a museum wall as art. Production designer John-Paul Kelly (Bloody Sunday, Venus) and costume designer Sandy Powell (Interview with the Vampire, The Departed) do an outstanding job of re-creating the 16th century Royal Court with sumptuous sets and costumes.
Portman once again amply demonstrates what an overrated actress she is, while Johansson just isn't very credible as a 16th century English noblewoman. Rumors of discord on the set between the two may explain why there is so little chemistry between them on screen as sisters. Without exception, the rest of the acting is all on the surface without digging any deeper, which must be partly blamed on the director. The cast includes Bana as Henry, Morrissey as the Duke of Norfolk, Jim Sturgess as Anne and Mary's brother George, Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas as the parents of the Boleyn siblings, Benedict Cumberbatch as Mary's first husband, Ana Torrent as Catherine of Aragon, and Juno Temple as Jane Parker.
The Other Boleyn Girl is almost a complete waste of time. As beautiful as it may be to look at, its predictable melodrama will have you wishing you were somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and just be somewhere else.
[1.5 out of 5 stars]
Based on Philippa Gregory's novel, this historical soap opera set amongst the Royal Court of Henry VIII of England is insufferably tedious.
The scheming Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) seeks to increase his family's position by offering his niece Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to be the mistress of Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Although there are immediate sparks between the two, the Duke of Norfolk considers Anne a liability after an accident that causes the King to be injured and instead aims to have her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) replace her in the King's affections.
Director Justin Chadwick (responsible for multiple episodes of British television's Bleak House) earns high marks for how he visualizes the story, but deserves failing marks for how he handles it as a drama. It plays out very predictably, full of melodrama bordering on the risible at times and about as deep an exploration of its characters as a piece of tissue paper. The surprising thing is that Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen) has contributed such a weak screenplay. Granted, it's based on someone else's novel, but one expects better from a proven screenwriter. Never have I been so pleased to see someone's head removed from their body as I was when Anne Boleyn experiences that fate here, because it meant that my suffering through two hours of tedium was finally at an end.
The best part of the film is the beautiful lighting of cinematographer Kieran McGuigan (a veteran of British television shows like Bleak House and Spooks) that reminds one of the great Baroque paintings. There are so many scenes that could be freeze framed and placed on a museum wall as art. Production designer John-Paul Kelly (Bloody Sunday, Venus) and costume designer Sandy Powell (Interview with the Vampire, The Departed) do an outstanding job of re-creating the 16th century Royal Court with sumptuous sets and costumes.
Portman once again amply demonstrates what an overrated actress she is, while Johansson just isn't very credible as a 16th century English noblewoman. Rumors of discord on the set between the two may explain why there is so little chemistry between them on screen as sisters. Without exception, the rest of the acting is all on the surface without digging any deeper, which must be partly blamed on the director. The cast includes Bana as Henry, Morrissey as the Duke of Norfolk, Jim Sturgess as Anne and Mary's brother George, Mark Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas as the parents of the Boleyn siblings, Benedict Cumberbatch as Mary's first husband, Ana Torrent as Catherine of Aragon, and Juno Temple as Jane Parker.
The Other Boleyn Girl is almost a complete waste of time. As beautiful as it may be to look at, its predictable melodrama will have you wishing you were somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and just be somewhere else.
[1.5 out of 5 stars]
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Justice League: The New Frontier
As the plot is described on the DVD cover: "With Cold War paranoia putting Superman (voice of Kyle MacLachlan), Batman (voice of Jeremy Sisto) and Wonder Woman (voice of Lucy Lawless) under government suspicion, only the gravest threat imaginable can force these heroes--along with an army of newcomers including the Flash (voice of Neil Patrick Harris), Green Lantern (voice of David Boreanaz) and Martian Manhunter (voice of Miguel Ferrer)--to unite."
Cooke's comic book miniseries is a complex tale told across over 400 pages filled with multiple subplots, some of which aren't strictly necessary to the main story, but the screenplay by Stan Berkowitz (a former staff writer for the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited animated television show) successfully pares the story down to its essential elements without losing its epic feel, while building it around the character of Green Lantern. The pacing could be better in some instances, but overall the story works quite well in animated form.
Veteran producer Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited) and first time director Dave Bullock (a storyboard artist for Timm's previous productions) deliver good animation that captures the nuances of Cooke's art while also accurately reflecting the Silver Age influences on his story. The production justifiably earns its PG-13 rating, as there are a couple of instances of vivid violence and disturbing imagery, as well as an overall tone suited to an older audience.
The closing montage set to John F. Kennedy's presidential nomination acceptance speech (the source of the phrase "the new frontier") perfectly captures the spirit of hope and scientific progress from that period in American history that was also so much a part of the Silver Age of comics, but earlier in the film the realities of McCarthyism, Cold War paranoia, and civil rights struggles are touched upon as well (the last when a news report mentions that a black superhero who fights against the KKK has been killed by an angry mob).
The score by Kevin Manthei (Invader ZIM) has an appropriately heroic dimension to it, although the theme isn't as immediately memorable as the one Lolita Ritmanis composed for the Justice League show.
Voice director Andrea Romano, another veteran of Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, is up to her usual high standard of coaching voice performances out of her cast that are just right for their characters. Boreanaz finds the right balance of idealism and angst as emotionally damaged Korean War veteran Hal Jordan, soon to receive the awesome power and responsibility of being a Green Lantern. MacLachlan plays up the earnestness of Superman without sounding corny, Sisto's deep voice helps to make him a compelling presence as Batman, Lawless is perfect as a different warrior princess than the one she's most famous for portraying, Harris captures the insecurity of the Flash when the fate of the world is literally in his hands, and Ferrer is convincing as an alien trapped on Earth trying to find a way to fit into human society.
The supporting cast is equally up to the task, including Brooke Shields as Carol Ferris (Hal's boss and love interest), Kyra Sedgwick as Lois Lane, Phil Morris as government agent King Faraday, Keith David as the Centre (the global menace in the story), John Heard as Hal's pilot friend Ace Morgan, Vicki Lewis as Iris West (the Flash's love interest), Jim Meskimen as Detective Slam Bradley (a character who shares the same creators as Superman), Alan Ritchson as Aquaman (a role he previously played in the live action Smallville television show), Lex Lang as Rick Flag, and Joe Mantegna as a sleazy Vegas crooner who hits on Iris West.
By adapting Cooke's miniseries and doing it well, Justice League: The New Frontier continues the tradition of excellence in superhero animation that Warner Bros. Animation began when Batman: The Animated Series debuted on television in 1992.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Writer/artist Darwyn Cooke's award-winning comic book miniseries DC: The New Frontier is adapted into a quality direct-to-DVD animated film that's superior to many of the live action superhero films released in recent years because it gets what superheroes are about on a mythic level.
As the plot is described on the DVD cover: "With Cold War paranoia putting Superman (voice of Kyle MacLachlan), Batman (voice of Jeremy Sisto) and Wonder Woman (voice of Lucy Lawless) under government suspicion, only the gravest threat imaginable can force these heroes--along with an army of newcomers including the Flash (voice of Neil Patrick Harris), Green Lantern (voice of David Boreanaz) and Martian Manhunter (voice of Miguel Ferrer)--to unite."
Cooke's comic book miniseries is a complex tale told across over 400 pages filled with multiple subplots, some of which aren't strictly necessary to the main story, but the screenplay by Stan Berkowitz (a former staff writer for the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited animated television show) successfully pares the story down to its essential elements without losing its epic feel, while building it around the character of Green Lantern. The pacing could be better in some instances, but overall the story works quite well in animated form.
Veteran producer Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited) and first time director Dave Bullock (a storyboard artist for Timm's previous productions) deliver good animation that captures the nuances of Cooke's art while also accurately reflecting the Silver Age influences on his story. The production justifiably earns its PG-13 rating, as there are a couple of instances of vivid violence and disturbing imagery, as well as an overall tone suited to an older audience.
The closing montage set to John F. Kennedy's presidential nomination acceptance speech (the source of the phrase "the new frontier") perfectly captures the spirit of hope and scientific progress from that period in American history that was also so much a part of the Silver Age of comics, but earlier in the film the realities of McCarthyism, Cold War paranoia, and civil rights struggles are touched upon as well (the last when a news report mentions that a black superhero who fights against the KKK has been killed by an angry mob).
The score by Kevin Manthei (Invader ZIM) has an appropriately heroic dimension to it, although the theme isn't as immediately memorable as the one Lolita Ritmanis composed for the Justice League show.
Voice director Andrea Romano, another veteran of Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, is up to her usual high standard of coaching voice performances out of her cast that are just right for their characters. Boreanaz finds the right balance of idealism and angst as emotionally damaged Korean War veteran Hal Jordan, soon to receive the awesome power and responsibility of being a Green Lantern. MacLachlan plays up the earnestness of Superman without sounding corny, Sisto's deep voice helps to make him a compelling presence as Batman, Lawless is perfect as a different warrior princess than the one she's most famous for portraying, Harris captures the insecurity of the Flash when the fate of the world is literally in his hands, and Ferrer is convincing as an alien trapped on Earth trying to find a way to fit into human society.
The supporting cast is equally up to the task, including Brooke Shields as Carol Ferris (Hal's boss and love interest), Kyra Sedgwick as Lois Lane, Phil Morris as government agent King Faraday, Keith David as the Centre (the global menace in the story), John Heard as Hal's pilot friend Ace Morgan, Vicki Lewis as Iris West (the Flash's love interest), Jim Meskimen as Detective Slam Bradley (a character who shares the same creators as Superman), Alan Ritchson as Aquaman (a role he previously played in the live action Smallville television show), Lex Lang as Rick Flag, and Joe Mantegna as a sleazy Vegas crooner who hits on Iris West.
By adapting Cooke's miniseries and doing it well, Justice League: The New Frontier continues the tradition of excellence in superhero animation that Warner Bros. Animation began when Batman: The Animated Series debuted on television in 1992.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Be Kind Rewind
Video store owner Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) has to go away for a few days and leaves his store in the hands of his only employee, Mike (Mos Def). Mike's best friend Jerry (Jack Black) gets magnetized in an incident involving a transformer and accidentally erases all of the tapes. When the store's most loyal customer, Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow), demands to rent Ghostbusters and threatens to tell Mr. Fletcher if she doesn't get it, Mike and Jerry hatch a crazy plan to use a video camera to re-create the films using themselves as the actors and crew.
Writer/director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) applies absurdist humor to the task of exploring the social nature of the creation and ownership of art. If that sounds too highbrow, its philosophical structure is wrapped in a shiny package of goofy charm that makes its points in an entertaining fashion. Gondry's films can be inconsistent, particularly when he also writes them, because he is seemingly compelled to explore every artistic impulse that comes along, but this is also what makes them so fascinating to watch. The swing and a miss here is the story's relatively shallow emotional resonance. That flaw doesn't keep it from being good, it just keeps it from being better. The hilarity of Mike and Jerry's shabby remakes of films is what makes Be Kind Rewind work.
Unlike Gondry's previous films, which were stylized and verging on surrealist at times, here cinematographer Ellen Kuras (Summer of Sam, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) uses a more grounded visual approach that nicely complements the story along with the sets of production designer Dan Leigh (Basquiat, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), which transform a rundown section of Passaic, New Jersey into a wonderland of possibilities.
Black brings just the right note of well-meaning insanity to the character of Jerry, and his earnest attempts to re-create famous film characters just get funnier and funnier. Mos Def's Mike is more of a straight man to Black's Jerry, but his low-key approach to humor works just as well. Veteran actors Glover and Farrow are very effective in their roles. Melonie Diaz sparkles as Alma, a woman who becomes part of the films when Mike and Jerry need an actress for Jerry to kiss instead of mechanic Wilson (a hilariously deadpan Irv Gooch) in drag. Also funny in smaller roles are Sigourney Weaver as an attorney who goes after the video store for copyright infringement and Kid Creole as the manager of a rival video store.
Be Kind Rewind is a film for adults that has the sensibility of a children's tale about how magic is made, a combination that Michel Gondry is well-suited to creating on the screen. For the most part, he succeeds.
[4 out of 5 stars]
What is it about having a story told to us that we enjoy so much? Is storytelling something that someone else must do for us or is it something that we can participate in? While attempting to answer both questions, this delightful comedy serves up a lot of laughs.
Video store owner Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) has to go away for a few days and leaves his store in the hands of his only employee, Mike (Mos Def). Mike's best friend Jerry (Jack Black) gets magnetized in an incident involving a transformer and accidentally erases all of the tapes. When the store's most loyal customer, Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow), demands to rent Ghostbusters and threatens to tell Mr. Fletcher if she doesn't get it, Mike and Jerry hatch a crazy plan to use a video camera to re-create the films using themselves as the actors and crew.
Writer/director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) applies absurdist humor to the task of exploring the social nature of the creation and ownership of art. If that sounds too highbrow, its philosophical structure is wrapped in a shiny package of goofy charm that makes its points in an entertaining fashion. Gondry's films can be inconsistent, particularly when he also writes them, because he is seemingly compelled to explore every artistic impulse that comes along, but this is also what makes them so fascinating to watch. The swing and a miss here is the story's relatively shallow emotional resonance. That flaw doesn't keep it from being good, it just keeps it from being better. The hilarity of Mike and Jerry's shabby remakes of films is what makes Be Kind Rewind work.
Unlike Gondry's previous films, which were stylized and verging on surrealist at times, here cinematographer Ellen Kuras (Summer of Sam, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) uses a more grounded visual approach that nicely complements the story along with the sets of production designer Dan Leigh (Basquiat, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), which transform a rundown section of Passaic, New Jersey into a wonderland of possibilities.
Black brings just the right note of well-meaning insanity to the character of Jerry, and his earnest attempts to re-create famous film characters just get funnier and funnier. Mos Def's Mike is more of a straight man to Black's Jerry, but his low-key approach to humor works just as well. Veteran actors Glover and Farrow are very effective in their roles. Melonie Diaz sparkles as Alma, a woman who becomes part of the films when Mike and Jerry need an actress for Jerry to kiss instead of mechanic Wilson (a hilariously deadpan Irv Gooch) in drag. Also funny in smaller roles are Sigourney Weaver as an attorney who goes after the video store for copyright infringement and Kid Creole as the manager of a rival video store.
Be Kind Rewind is a film for adults that has the sensibility of a children's tale about how magic is made, a combination that Michel Gondry is well-suited to creating on the screen. For the most part, he succeeds.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The Signal
New Year's Eve in the city of Terminus arrives as a mysterious television signal causes residents to become psychotic and murderously violent, while those unaffected fight to survive.
Writers/directors/camera operators/editors David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry deliver an edgy horror film that recalls the early films of David Cronenberg and the apocalyptic vibe of a George A. Romero film or 28 Days Later, making the most of a limited budget by focusing on a small number of characters. The film is divided into three interconnected segments, each one made by a different director who puts their own spin on the story--from horror to black comedy to mystery. Despite three different approaches with multiple changes in tone, the filmmakers succeed in making a remarkably cohesive film. It stumbles in the third segment, the least successful one, but not badly enough to mar the overall experience.
Each director serves as a camera operator, using high definition video and practical light sources to create a documentary feel, matched by the lived in looking sets of production designer Lisa Yeiser (it was filmed entirely in Atlanta). The score by Ben Lovett (Last Goodbye) adds a creepy soundscape to the story.
The cast of unknowns is very effective and easily adapts to the different tones in each segment, including Anessa Ramsey as Mya, a married woman trying to escape the city with her lover; Justin Welborn as Ben, her lover and someone able to resist the signal; AJ Bowen as Lewis, Mya's controlling husband; Sahr as Rod, one of Lewis' friends; Scott Poythress as Clark, a conspiracy theorist who manages an apartment building; Christopher Thomas and Cheri Christian as Ken and Anna, a married couple who live in Clark's apartment building; and Chad McKnight as Jim, a friend of Ken and Anna.
The Signal is worth a look for horror fans tired of uninspired remakes of Asian films or older American films. While not always successful, it works often enough and well enough to be an above average addition to the horror genre.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
It's a clever indie film that manages to both disturb and amuse, while proving that American filmmakers are still capable of making a decent horror movie, something that seems to be a lost art today.
New Year's Eve in the city of Terminus arrives as a mysterious television signal causes residents to become psychotic and murderously violent, while those unaffected fight to survive.
Writers/directors/camera operators/editors David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry deliver an edgy horror film that recalls the early films of David Cronenberg and the apocalyptic vibe of a George A. Romero film or 28 Days Later, making the most of a limited budget by focusing on a small number of characters. The film is divided into three interconnected segments, each one made by a different director who puts their own spin on the story--from horror to black comedy to mystery. Despite three different approaches with multiple changes in tone, the filmmakers succeed in making a remarkably cohesive film. It stumbles in the third segment, the least successful one, but not badly enough to mar the overall experience.
Each director serves as a camera operator, using high definition video and practical light sources to create a documentary feel, matched by the lived in looking sets of production designer Lisa Yeiser (it was filmed entirely in Atlanta). The score by Ben Lovett (Last Goodbye) adds a creepy soundscape to the story.
The cast of unknowns is very effective and easily adapts to the different tones in each segment, including Anessa Ramsey as Mya, a married woman trying to escape the city with her lover; Justin Welborn as Ben, her lover and someone able to resist the signal; AJ Bowen as Lewis, Mya's controlling husband; Sahr as Rod, one of Lewis' friends; Scott Poythress as Clark, a conspiracy theorist who manages an apartment building; Christopher Thomas and Cheri Christian as Ken and Anna, a married couple who live in Clark's apartment building; and Chad McKnight as Jim, a friend of Ken and Anna.
The Signal is worth a look for horror fans tired of uninspired remakes of Asian films or older American films. While not always successful, it works often enough and well enough to be an above average addition to the horror genre.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Diary of the Dead
A group of film students are shooting a low budget horror film in the backwoods of Pennsylvania when corpses begin reanimating to feast on the flesh of the living. As the students try to escape, one of them keeps filming with his video camera, obsessed with documenting everything that occurs so that someone may eventually know the truth of what happened.
Writer/director Romero returns to his roots as a low budget guerrilla filmmaker, and the result is easily the best Dead film since Dawn of the Dead in 1978. Romero has always used the horror genre as a way to examine and satirize contemporary society. The satire is on the mark here, taking aim at the news media, internet culture, and reality television among other things, while raising chilling questions about the manufacturing of "truth" by the media and our own enjoyment of violence.
The production pushes the boundaries of its R rating with some particularly gory scenes, but it's also wonderfully funny at the most unexpected of times and it's not above mocking other modern zombie films where the walking dead are more like the sprinting dead. Romero finds and successfully maintains the delicate balance between horror, satire, and dark humor throughout. The final shot is like a kick to the throat, putting a brutal exclamation point on the film's themes.
As the title suggests, the story is told as if it's a video diary, taking a cue from The Blair Witch Project (and putting it on common ground with Cloverfield) with a first person narrative where the camera is used to appear as if it's being carried and operated by one of the characters. The technique once again works very well for providing a terrifying sense of immediacy, but cinematographer Adam Swica (Bruiser) achieves the effect without the nausea-inducing ShakyCam of its stylistic predecessors. It's quite different from Romero's usual style of filmmaking, but he shows himself more than capable of adapting himself to a different way of telling a story, and this allows him to succeed in a way that he hasn't for quite a long time.
The cast of unknowns is well suited to the guerrilla style of the film, providing believable performances within the framework of the story, including Joshua Close as the obsessed filmmaker who we hear more than we see because he's the one with the camera; Michelle Morgan as his frustrated girlfriend; Shawn Roberts, Amy Lalonde, Joe Dinicol, Philip Riccio, Chris Violette, Tatiana Maslany, and Megan Park as the other students; Scott Wentworth as their alcohol soaked film professor; and Alan Van Sprang as a National Guard officer they encounter. Romero himself has a cameo as a police chief providing information at a televised press conference.
News broadcasts are used as backgrounds to several scenes, and the voices of the unseen newsreaders are provided by Wes Craven, Stephen King, Simon Pegg, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro.
The fifth entry in the Dead franchise is one of its best, providing a fresh take on the material four decades after the franchise's birth and finding its creator back in top form as a social satirist. Diary of the Dead is grisly, funny, thought provoking, and one hell of a ride.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
In 1968, George A. Romero shocked the world with a new kind of horror film, Night of the Living Dead. Forty years later, he returns to the scene of the crime with what can be viewed as either a companion piece to the original or a reboot of the franchise. Whichever it is, it's bloody good.
A group of film students are shooting a low budget horror film in the backwoods of Pennsylvania when corpses begin reanimating to feast on the flesh of the living. As the students try to escape, one of them keeps filming with his video camera, obsessed with documenting everything that occurs so that someone may eventually know the truth of what happened.
Writer/director Romero returns to his roots as a low budget guerrilla filmmaker, and the result is easily the best Dead film since Dawn of the Dead in 1978. Romero has always used the horror genre as a way to examine and satirize contemporary society. The satire is on the mark here, taking aim at the news media, internet culture, and reality television among other things, while raising chilling questions about the manufacturing of "truth" by the media and our own enjoyment of violence.
The production pushes the boundaries of its R rating with some particularly gory scenes, but it's also wonderfully funny at the most unexpected of times and it's not above mocking other modern zombie films where the walking dead are more like the sprinting dead. Romero finds and successfully maintains the delicate balance between horror, satire, and dark humor throughout. The final shot is like a kick to the throat, putting a brutal exclamation point on the film's themes.
As the title suggests, the story is told as if it's a video diary, taking a cue from The Blair Witch Project (and putting it on common ground with Cloverfield) with a first person narrative where the camera is used to appear as if it's being carried and operated by one of the characters. The technique once again works very well for providing a terrifying sense of immediacy, but cinematographer Adam Swica (Bruiser) achieves the effect without the nausea-inducing ShakyCam of its stylistic predecessors. It's quite different from Romero's usual style of filmmaking, but he shows himself more than capable of adapting himself to a different way of telling a story, and this allows him to succeed in a way that he hasn't for quite a long time.
The cast of unknowns is well suited to the guerrilla style of the film, providing believable performances within the framework of the story, including Joshua Close as the obsessed filmmaker who we hear more than we see because he's the one with the camera; Michelle Morgan as his frustrated girlfriend; Shawn Roberts, Amy Lalonde, Joe Dinicol, Philip Riccio, Chris Violette, Tatiana Maslany, and Megan Park as the other students; Scott Wentworth as their alcohol soaked film professor; and Alan Van Sprang as a National Guard officer they encounter. Romero himself has a cameo as a police chief providing information at a televised press conference.
News broadcasts are used as backgrounds to several scenes, and the voices of the unseen newsreaders are provided by Wes Craven, Stephen King, Simon Pegg, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro.
The fifth entry in the Dead franchise is one of its best, providing a fresh take on the material four decades after the franchise's birth and finding its creator back in top form as a social satirist. Diary of the Dead is grisly, funny, thought provoking, and one hell of a ride.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Spiderwick Chronicles
After the Grace family--rebellious Jared (Freddie Highmore), his more intellectually inclined twin Simon (also Highmore), their older sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), and their mother (Mary-Louise Parker)--move into an old country home that used to belong to a relative, strange things begin to happen for which Jared, prone to emotional outbursts after his parents' recent separation, is quickly blamed. In the attic, he finds a book written by his great-granduncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), along with a handwritten note warning against reading it. Jared disregards the warning and discovers the book is a field guide to magical creatures, good and bad. As a new world unfolds before his eyes, he learns that the ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) will stop at nothing to obtain the book and its secrets, and soon Jared's entire family is in mortal danger and it's up to him to save them all.
Although it begins a bit slowly and initially has the feel of a telefilm, once the fantasy elements kick in you'll find yourself won over by its charms, as I was. Director Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) employs a light touch that serves the story well, transforming the books into an exciting adventure that will appeal to fantasy fans of all ages, but especially to younger ones. I haven't read any of the books, but reportedly elements from all five of them were used as the basis for the screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick (James and the Giant Peach), David Berenbaum (Elf), and John Sayles (The Secret of Roan Inish), and successfully so. It never once feels like bits and pieces of several stories have been cobbled together.
Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (The Black Stallion, The Passion of the Christ), production designer James Bissell (Jumanji, 300), and costume designers Odette Gadoury (Lucky Number Slevin) and Joanna Johnston (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan) do a wonderful job of realizing the look of DiTerlizzi's illustrations on the cinema screen, aided by excellent visual effects courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic and the Tippett Studio. The pleasant score by James Horner (Jumanji, Apocalypto) completes the spell.
The young cast seems a little uncertain early on, but quickly find their footing. Highmore is a suitable lead and quite convincing as both brothers, Irish actress Bolger is spirited as Mallory, and Parker is a solid presence as their mother. Strathairn and Joan Plowright are perfectly cast as Spiderwick and his now elderly daughter. Andrew McCarthy has a cameo as Jared's father. Nolte only has a little face time before giving way to voicing a CGI character, but he's an appropriately menacing Mulgarath. The rest of the voice cast shines as well, including Martin Short as Thimbletack and Seth Rogen as Hogsqueal.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of the early surprises of the 2008 release schedule, a wonderful little family-friendly fantasy film. It may lack the scope of other recent films in the genre, but it reliably captures the magic of a boy finding a world of wonder in his own backyard.
[4 out of 5 stars]
The popular series of illustrated fantasy books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi are brought to the screen in an entertaining fashion.
After the Grace family--rebellious Jared (Freddie Highmore), his more intellectually inclined twin Simon (also Highmore), their older sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), and their mother (Mary-Louise Parker)--move into an old country home that used to belong to a relative, strange things begin to happen for which Jared, prone to emotional outbursts after his parents' recent separation, is quickly blamed. In the attic, he finds a book written by his great-granduncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), along with a handwritten note warning against reading it. Jared disregards the warning and discovers the book is a field guide to magical creatures, good and bad. As a new world unfolds before his eyes, he learns that the ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) will stop at nothing to obtain the book and its secrets, and soon Jared's entire family is in mortal danger and it's up to him to save them all.
Although it begins a bit slowly and initially has the feel of a telefilm, once the fantasy elements kick in you'll find yourself won over by its charms, as I was. Director Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) employs a light touch that serves the story well, transforming the books into an exciting adventure that will appeal to fantasy fans of all ages, but especially to younger ones. I haven't read any of the books, but reportedly elements from all five of them were used as the basis for the screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick (James and the Giant Peach), David Berenbaum (Elf), and John Sayles (The Secret of Roan Inish), and successfully so. It never once feels like bits and pieces of several stories have been cobbled together.
Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (The Black Stallion, The Passion of the Christ), production designer James Bissell (Jumanji, 300), and costume designers Odette Gadoury (Lucky Number Slevin) and Joanna Johnston (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan) do a wonderful job of realizing the look of DiTerlizzi's illustrations on the cinema screen, aided by excellent visual effects courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic and the Tippett Studio. The pleasant score by James Horner (Jumanji, Apocalypto) completes the spell.
The young cast seems a little uncertain early on, but quickly find their footing. Highmore is a suitable lead and quite convincing as both brothers, Irish actress Bolger is spirited as Mallory, and Parker is a solid presence as their mother. Strathairn and Joan Plowright are perfectly cast as Spiderwick and his now elderly daughter. Andrew McCarthy has a cameo as Jared's father. Nolte only has a little face time before giving way to voicing a CGI character, but he's an appropriately menacing Mulgarath. The rest of the voice cast shines as well, including Martin Short as Thimbletack and Seth Rogen as Hogsqueal.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of the early surprises of the 2008 release schedule, a wonderful little family-friendly fantasy film. It may lack the scope of other recent films in the genre, but it reliably captures the magic of a boy finding a world of wonder in his own backyard.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Eye
Violinist Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) has been blind since a childhood accident. Now an adult, she undergoes a successful cornea implant operation and has to learn how to use her sense of sight all over again. She also begins to see things and people that no one else does. Is she losing her mind or do her new corneas allow her to peer into the world of the supernatural? With the help of sympathetic therapist Paul (Alessandro Nivola), she begins a journey to discover the source of her visions.
The original film, a Hong Kong-Singaporean-Thai co-production directed by the Pang Brothers, was a highly effective chiller. I watched it at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2003, and it's the only screening of a horror film I remember attending where someone in the audience bolted out of his seat, ran out of the cinema, and never returned.
This remake, directed by the team of David Moreau and Xavier Palud (Ils), is inferior in every way and lacks the sheer creepiness of the original, proving once again that there's more to remaking a scary film than having access to a larger budget and fancy CGI effects. It's not enough to make a technically proficient film, the filmmakers also have to remember to scare people, and scares are one thing wholly lacking here. While the screenplay by Sebastian Gutierrez (Gothika, Snakes on a Plane) is generally faithful to the original by Jojo Hui and the Pangs in the details, it just doesn't work very well. The characters are less developed and too many things are spelled out instead of leaving some ambiguity.
I recently re-watched two of my favorite Asian horror films, Shutter and A Tale of Two Sisters, and even though I knew exactly when the ghosts would appear and what they would do, both films were as terrifying to me as they were on first viewing. So it wasn't my familiarity with the original that made The Eye a poor viewing experience, it was how poorly executed the remake is.
The contributions of cinematographer Jeffrey Jur (Dirty Dancing, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) are polished and effectively allow the audience to experience the world the way the protagonist does as she regains her vision. The score by Marco Beltrami (Live Free or Die Hard, 3:10 to Yuma) is dead center average for a horror film.
The cast is uninspired at best verging on awful at times, including Alba as Sydney, Nivola as Paul, Parker Posey in a very disappointing turn as Sydney's sister, Rade Serbedzija as the conductor of the orchestra Sydney works for, Rachel Ticotin as a woman in Mexico who may have the answers Sydney needs, Obba Babatundé as the eye surgeon, Danny Mora as the doorman at the building Sydney lives in, and Tamlyn Tomita as Sydney's neighbor. It leads one to believe that poor direction is largely to blame for this state of affairs, because the actors I'm familiar with have done much better before.
The Eye is further evidence that Hollywood is unable to succeed with the kind of horror films that Asian filmmakers in particular seem to do so well. Other than The Ring, they've all been hugely disappointing. Don't bother with The Eye unless you want to be bored by what you see.
[1.5 out of 5 stars]
Dear Hollywood, please stop with the inferior remakes of Asian horror films already. Dear American filmgoers, please stop being afraid of good films because they have subtitles and just see the originals.
Violinist Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) has been blind since a childhood accident. Now an adult, she undergoes a successful cornea implant operation and has to learn how to use her sense of sight all over again. She also begins to see things and people that no one else does. Is she losing her mind or do her new corneas allow her to peer into the world of the supernatural? With the help of sympathetic therapist Paul (Alessandro Nivola), she begins a journey to discover the source of her visions.
The original film, a Hong Kong-Singaporean-Thai co-production directed by the Pang Brothers, was a highly effective chiller. I watched it at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2003, and it's the only screening of a horror film I remember attending where someone in the audience bolted out of his seat, ran out of the cinema, and never returned.
This remake, directed by the team of David Moreau and Xavier Palud (Ils), is inferior in every way and lacks the sheer creepiness of the original, proving once again that there's more to remaking a scary film than having access to a larger budget and fancy CGI effects. It's not enough to make a technically proficient film, the filmmakers also have to remember to scare people, and scares are one thing wholly lacking here. While the screenplay by Sebastian Gutierrez (Gothika, Snakes on a Plane) is generally faithful to the original by Jojo Hui and the Pangs in the details, it just doesn't work very well. The characters are less developed and too many things are spelled out instead of leaving some ambiguity.
I recently re-watched two of my favorite Asian horror films, Shutter and A Tale of Two Sisters, and even though I knew exactly when the ghosts would appear and what they would do, both films were as terrifying to me as they were on first viewing. So it wasn't my familiarity with the original that made The Eye a poor viewing experience, it was how poorly executed the remake is.
The contributions of cinematographer Jeffrey Jur (Dirty Dancing, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) are polished and effectively allow the audience to experience the world the way the protagonist does as she regains her vision. The score by Marco Beltrami (Live Free or Die Hard, 3:10 to Yuma) is dead center average for a horror film.
The cast is uninspired at best verging on awful at times, including Alba as Sydney, Nivola as Paul, Parker Posey in a very disappointing turn as Sydney's sister, Rade Serbedzija as the conductor of the orchestra Sydney works for, Rachel Ticotin as a woman in Mexico who may have the answers Sydney needs, Obba Babatundé as the eye surgeon, Danny Mora as the doorman at the building Sydney lives in, and Tamlyn Tomita as Sydney's neighbor. It leads one to believe that poor direction is largely to blame for this state of affairs, because the actors I'm familiar with have done much better before.
The Eye is further evidence that Hollywood is unable to succeed with the kind of horror films that Asian filmmakers in particular seem to do so well. Other than The Ring, they've all been hugely disappointing. Don't bother with The Eye unless you want to be bored by what you see.
[1.5 out of 5 stars]
Friday, February 01, 2008
El Orfanato (The Orphanage)
Laura (Belén Rueda), Carlos (Fernando Cayo), and their son Simón (Roger Príncep) move into an old house that used to be an orphanage, the same orphanage where Laura lived as a child until a family adopted her. Soon, strange things begin to happen, and then Simón disappears. How far will Laura go to find her son?
Spanish music video director J.A. Bayona makes his feature film debut with a well-crafted exercise in horror that's as atmospheric as it is poignant. The careful use of camera and lighting by Bayona and cinematographer Óscar Faura evokes a mood of impending doom that slowly creeps up on you as if on tiptoes, never settling for cheap scares. It winds its way along its chosen path to a conclusion that's at once beautiful and moving.
The screenplay by Sergio G. Sánchez is a smart take on a very old kind of story, and I think it does a particularly good job of exploring the fragile psyche of Laura as she searches for Simón. There's an ambiguity to the story that allows it to be interpreted on different levels, reminding me of Hideo Nakata's Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara as well as del Toro's own films.
No ghost story is complete without a creepy old house, and production designer Josep Rosell (Juana la Loca) graces the film with one that really does seem laden with the spirits of the past. The understated score by Fernando Velázquez (Savage Grace) is an integral part of the film's atmosphere.
Rueda is compelling as Laura, her subtle performance making what her character experiences all the more believable. It's her portrayal that seals the deal for the audience. Príncep is also quite good as a lonely boy whose imaginary playmates may not be so imaginary. Cayo is a little flat as Carlos, but still adequate for the role. The rest of the solid cast includes Geraldine Chaplin in a creepy turn as a medium, Mabel Rivera as a skeptical police psychologist, Montserrat Carulla as a woman who claims to be a social worker concerned with Simón's case, and Edgar Vivar as an expert on the paranormal.
El Orfanato (The Orphanage) is a nicely done horror film that relies on imagination and mood to generate scares. It's a breath of fresh air in an American market dominated by unimaginative remakes. Sadly, this film is itself slated for a US remake. Do yourself a favor and see the original.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Executive producer Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth) presents a good old fashioned ghost story that hits all the right buttons for sending chills down the collective spine of an audience.
Laura (Belén Rueda), Carlos (Fernando Cayo), and their son Simón (Roger Príncep) move into an old house that used to be an orphanage, the same orphanage where Laura lived as a child until a family adopted her. Soon, strange things begin to happen, and then Simón disappears. How far will Laura go to find her son?
Spanish music video director J.A. Bayona makes his feature film debut with a well-crafted exercise in horror that's as atmospheric as it is poignant. The careful use of camera and lighting by Bayona and cinematographer Óscar Faura evokes a mood of impending doom that slowly creeps up on you as if on tiptoes, never settling for cheap scares. It winds its way along its chosen path to a conclusion that's at once beautiful and moving.
The screenplay by Sergio G. Sánchez is a smart take on a very old kind of story, and I think it does a particularly good job of exploring the fragile psyche of Laura as she searches for Simón. There's an ambiguity to the story that allows it to be interpreted on different levels, reminding me of Hideo Nakata's Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara as well as del Toro's own films.
No ghost story is complete without a creepy old house, and production designer Josep Rosell (Juana la Loca) graces the film with one that really does seem laden with the spirits of the past. The understated score by Fernando Velázquez (Savage Grace) is an integral part of the film's atmosphere.
Rueda is compelling as Laura, her subtle performance making what her character experiences all the more believable. It's her portrayal that seals the deal for the audience. Príncep is also quite good as a lonely boy whose imaginary playmates may not be so imaginary. Cayo is a little flat as Carlos, but still adequate for the role. The rest of the solid cast includes Geraldine Chaplin in a creepy turn as a medium, Mabel Rivera as a skeptical police psychologist, Montserrat Carulla as a woman who claims to be a social worker concerned with Simón's case, and Edgar Vivar as an expert on the paranormal.
El Orfanato (The Orphanage) is a nicely done horror film that relies on imagination and mood to generate scares. It's a breath of fresh air in an American market dominated by unimaginative remakes. Sadly, this film is itself slated for a US remake. Do yourself a favor and see the original.
[4 out of 5 stars]
