Saturday, February 27, 2016

REVIEW: The Witch



Be ye willing to lend ear to old English?  I pray thee, that thine do be just and willing to do so, so that ye shall harvest thine fruit of enchantment and fear from The Witch.  I am rubbish at pretending to have the skills to use a dated tongue, but the scriptwriter for The Witch (Robert Eggers, who also directed it) nails it perfectly.  I bring up the dialogue style because I know that it has been the source of some confusion for some movie goers.  It takes an attentive ear to follow the conversations in the film, and it takes an equal amount of patience.  However, if you are able and willing to work through that you are in for the year's best psychological horror film so far.

It is easy to give it that praise based off of two reasons.  Reason the first, there have been few decent movies hitting the theatres so far in 2016.  Reason the second, it is a really good horror flick.  Based in the 1600's, it is about a family that gets exiled from their community after the father has been accused of heresy.

The location of the film is around the farm that they create, roughly a day's ride from the village.  They live in isolation, surrounded by the dark woods.  It is the perfect place for the imagination to take you for walks through the dark creations of the mind.  Robert Eggers makes the most of the stunning isolation, turning it into an incubator for the suspicions and desires of the characters in the film.  With this being Eggers' first feature film, he shows an understanding of how to transpose the vision he has onto the screen, making great use of pauses in the film, cinematography, dialogue, and music to create the tension.

The Witch is a definitive slow burn horror.  That is not me saying that it is boring or a slog.  Not by any means am I inferring that.  It is a captivating tale that focuses on the religious leanings of the family and how superstition about witchcraft is granted birth after some very serious instances happen.  Eggers uses wonderful pacing to unravel the tale in which a secluded family begins turning on each other over stresses from catastrophe.

Yes, I am being vague about the plot points of this film, but I think it is best if there is very little known going into it.  It is all about how it develops and unfolds that feeds the beast of intrigue and suspense.  Some things are best experienced first hand.

It would be impossible to write about this review and not to mention the impressive performance for the feature film debuting actress Anya Taylor-Joy.  She leads the charge as the main character, the teenage daughter Thomasin, whom the majority of the story revolves around.  Anya delivers a well rounded performance that keeps the audience invested emotionally in the tale.  She shows through her skills that she will be a talent that is going to be around in films for a long time to come.

The one negative that I can give about this movie is that perhaps it could have ended a few minutes earlier.  This is not a comment on the run time, but more about what Eggers chooses to expose in the final moments of the film.  Some things are best left to the imagination, and a little too much gets exposed when the rest of the film is a lot more cryptic.  I was left with a similar feeling as when I saw The Last Exorcism, a great film that built a lot on mystery and doubt only to show the answer to all of the questions in the final moments.

Let that criticism not be enough to keep you from seeing the film.  It is just something that took away the whooshing of the wind in my sails and killed the adrenaline that had been built up over the prior hour and an half.  This is a must see for horror fans, but also serves as a good gate-way into the genre.  It is a wonderful microcosm of human nature's need to pin reason the the unexplained and the division that can quickly appear when despair is rampant.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars

Monday, February 15, 2016

REVIEW: Deadpool



Not another super hero film.  Sigh.  Will it actually be a movie, or is it just an origin story in disguise to vainly try and set up a franchise?  One again, sigh.

With the glut of comic book movies that stalk the halls and screens of your local theatre, it is easy to be hesitant about any new offerings that are (for lack of a better word and also lack of a handy thesaurus) offered up from within the genre.  It is a realm that Disney and Marvel studios have owned since Iron Man came out and paved the way for the shared universe with his Avengers cohorts.  It is also a realm that has seen some dry and dusty films from other studios attempting to create the same magic.  The financial returns are not as big as they were in 2012 when Avengers first showed the true dollar value of super hero films.

Comic book movies are a dime a dozen right now, and its only going to get worse as studios have deluded themselves in believing that this trend will continue for at least the next four years.  It is near impossible to stand out among the generic looking films, each trying to be bigger and more action packed than the next.  But, sometimes there is hope.  Sometimes a movie is brave enough to shun convention and be something different.

Take Guardians of the Galaxy as an example.  It was a time when comic book movies needed to be grounded in real life and everything needed to be dark and serious.  Along comes a movie that injects natural flowing humour along with vibrant colours and it does remarkably well.  The unconventional was shown to be something that audiences would accept.

A year and a half later (and a lot of rambling on my part), and we have Deadpool.  Not only does it try and be a bit different than the rest, but it goes full on down the rabbit hole by shunning the idea that all comic book movies need to be PG-13.  A full on R rating is what we have here, and the movie plays with those extended boundaries allotted to it right off the bat.  This is not the film to take your children to see.  Also, it is not the film to see if you hate the idea of gratuitous violence and crude humour.

If, like me, you find those things acceptable in their proper context, then welcome to the comic book movie that was catered to you and me, my friend.  The first thing you will notice about this film (and when I say 'first thing,' I mean right from the opening credits) is that it has a unique voice and tone to it.  It knows that to survive in the land of comic book giants you need to be true to the character, and this film's entire flow is woven through the core ethos of Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds).

Debuting director Tim Miller shows a complete understanding that when you have a very unique character at your disposal, it helps to cater everything at your disposal to reflect that character.  Wilson is a wise cracking and sarcastic person who breaks the fourth wall with the audience in numerous ways, and the film is styled off of that personality.  I can think of numerous films that have tonal issues where stylized elements are implemented for the mere sake of using them, but here there is nothing out of place.  It all works well with the anti-hero that is Deadpool.

The performance of Reynolds here is terrific.  For those who bemoaned him getting the role based off of the shoddy movie that was Green Lantern, you need not worry.  There were many issues with Green Lantern, and none of them had to do with Ryan Reynolds.  He was in a role that didn't let him shine properly, which is something that he gets to do as Wade Wilson.  His love interest in the film is played by Morena Baccarin, who gives a fiery and strong performance as Vanessa.  Added to the mix is what would normally be considered the comedic relief (although in a film that has comedy layered throughout, it is just extra icing on a cake that makes it all the more delicious and fattening) with Wilson's friend Weasel, who is played by T.J. Miller in a very memorable performance.

If there is one qualm that I had with the film, and it is a minor one, it would be that perhaps the film was a little too self referential and fourth wall breaking.  As with 22 Jump Street, it does well to add humour and freshness, but almost leans on the gag a little too often which softens the impact of it.  Take that for what you will, but remember that it is only a mild issue that I had.

Overall it triumphs as a film that has a great sense of tone, awareness, and attention to pacing.  It speeds along at a good clip, using its run time efficiently.  It also never over plays the action elements, which allows them to keep from becoming too stale and loosing their impact.  It shows us that there may be a new, hot director on the scene in Tim Miller, and it reminds us of what Ryan Reynolds is capable of in the right role.

Rating - 3 out of 4 stars

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

REVIEW: Kung Fury

Trapped in the mind of every cinema-freak man child of the 1980s movie scene is a kaleidoscope of tropes, scenes, and sequences that typified the decade but never dared to pair along side one another in a single film.  Well the impossible has now come to life in David Sandberg's Kickstarter funded short film, Kung Fury.  It may only clock in at half an hour, but it is more homage packed and crammed full of action than anything from the library of Chuck Norris.  That's right, I went there.

Sandberg stars in the film as a cop who has been imbued with ancient Kung Fu powers after being simultaneously struck by lightning and bitten by a cobra.  He fulfills the long held prophecy as the one who will bring the most awesome techniques of the martial art into form, and the mean streets of Miami are all the safer because of it.  He must deal with having a new partner as well as travelling too far back in time, to an era where raptors shoot lasers out of their eyes, to conquer the biggest threat to both Kung Fu and society.

While the film is a complete joke, it is a joke with terrific energy and a great example on the micro scale of correct story telling.  The whole thing is a gimmick, and the smartest side of Sandberg comes out in never playing on one gag for two long and maximizing the script for the half hour run time.  There was a hope that it would be created into a feature film if it had gathered one million dollars from its Kickstarter campaign, but I think missing that mark was to its benefit.  Keep the jokes and references quick, keep them concise, and then cram the audience in a Lamborghini Countach and launch us towards the next one.

It is this precision that not only makes the film keep from getting stale, but makes it watchable.  After the first few gags, while I did most hearty a chuckle, I wondered if it was possible for it to keep it up for a half hour without me getting bored.  Most definitely it does, is the answer.  Heads explode, Thor wields awesome pectorals, and vikings ride giant wolves while carrying mini-guns.

There is also a charisma to the performance of Sandberg's that keeps it interesting.  He plays a cop that is a loose cannon and is too cool for school, talking in the menacing monotone voice that was popularized by Clint Eastwood.  It's not particularly easy to mimic that style and still have personality.  Just look as far as Adam Sandler's performance in The Ridiculous 6 to see how easy it is to cock up such a style and make it boring as hell.

If you don't lay in bed at night dreaming of all the cliches of 1980s cinema, mostly the love for cop movies and martial arts films, then there is a decent chance that you may ask what the hell was so special about Kung Fury.  It is probably best to just take a pass on it, if that sounds like you.  However, if the trailer posted below revs your engine to the redline of excitement, then get off your ass and check out the movie.  I promise that you won't be disappointed.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars


Monday, February 8, 2016

PODCAST: The Breakdown of Rising Stars

Daisy Ridley and John Boyega from The Force Awakens both made the list


This is the second time that Chris and I have taken an entire podcast to talk about up and coming talent that we think may be the future of cinema.  There are so many talented people, both in front of the camera and behind the camera, and we hope to give proper shine to those who deserve the recognition.

Some of the names we tackle this week on the podcast may sound familiar, while others may not.  Our hope is to introduce you to some incredible people with real star potential.

You can find the podcast here.  Or you can find it on iTunes where you can rate us and subscribe if you would like.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

A Post of Procrastination

Staring at a blank page is not very fun.  Starting out with one can be the beginning of the most lush adventure to undertake, the empty canvas being nothing but a playground for possibilities and exploration.  However, when the writing slows down and the looming blankness of a page overtakes the feeling of accomplishment of how you got there, it loses the fun.  The excitement is gone.  Exploration becomes a long forgotten promise, and all that comes is frustration.

Currently I am sitting in neutral in the third act of a book that I started last spring.  Sixty six thousand words, an assortment of characters, the lines of morality being blurred, decisions and instinct leading to misdeeds and conflict... and now I am stuck.  What do they do next?  I know what the tension of the story is, but how do they move towards any kind of resolution.

I will admit that I don't necessarily have an ending in mind when I sit down and begin a story.  That comes later as I get to know the characters.  'Trust the characters,' that's what I believe.  As the plot, to use the over applied cliche, thickens, I get to know what the characters would do and the story writes itself.  I feel like a spectator who gets to watch it all unfold first hand as it plays out and the words form together into something coherent.  At least I hope it's coherent.

This story is different.  I know who the main players are, I know how they would respond to situations, and I know what those situations need to be.  Getting them there, though, is turning out to be extremely tricky.  I am a blindfolded bus driver that is trying to let people off at the correct stops.  Instead of being able to just go ahead and do the task, I have done the safe thing and pulled over to the side of the road until I can see again.

But the safe thing to do is not always the best.  What if it turns out that I am just waiting for an idea that I will try and force and pry my characters into?  Then my story turns into the worst kind of schlock, when the people involved only exist to advance the plot.  Really, I would rather ingest the kitchen cleaning products that I just used (a perfect method and excuse for procrastination) than ruin my characters.  I would rather walk away from the story completely than destroy what has developed naturally throughout the tale.

As it is, the page I am working on is two paragraphs long and has been that way for a while.  I know that soon I am going to just have to roll the dice and try something, knowing that I will be able to go back and alter it later.  Until I take a gamble with what I have started, it will never be anything more than an incomplete dream.

About Me

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I'm smarter than a bat. I know this because I caught the little jerk bat that got in my apartment, before immediately and inadvertently bringing him back in. So maybe I'm not smarter than a bat.