FOUR FILMS - MR JONES, BLUE RUIN, BASTARDS (LES SALAUDS), DEVIL'S KNOT

MR. JONES

Hollywood seems to have gotten the hang of the found footage film.  This is just great storytelling with a well laid-out plot and lots to discuss afterwards.  The nature of not only reality as the last montage shows but time as well makes this a satisfying narrative.  It’s relatively big in scope and also scary, a ten on the creepymeter.

BLUE RUIN

Macon Blair’s performance as an unlikely revenge hero is front and center of this excellent, tense thriller full of creatively staged action scenes and with a batty cameo by Eve Plumb of the Brady Bunch.  One is tempted to compare this to a Coen Brothers film like FARGO but that film is much more light hearted than this one.  The money quote that ties this involving story together “I could forgive you if you were crazy but you’re not crazy, you’re just weak”.  Worth seeing.

BASTARDS (LES SALAUDS)

Poor pacing hurts this intricately plotted noir-ish thriller with a real CHINATOWN type vibe.  It does have a good story and the presence of Vincent Lindon whose tired hang dog face  brings to mind Robert Mitchum and perfectly suits this dark story.  However, it’s far too relaxed – This dark story needed more of an edge in how it was told.

DEVIL'S KNOT

Anyone familiar with the case of the West Memphis Three already knows this story.  This poorly organized puff piece leaves out key points and fudges others.  The presence of Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth and director Atom Egoyan’s arty touches can’t save this turkey.  Thumbs way down. 

FIVE FILMS - CAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER, PROXY, OCULUS, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, THE RAILWAY MAN

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

One of the better comic book movies of the recent glut of such of the last several years.  Despite Bucky not being such an important character in the first film as opposed to basically Captain America’s Robin in the comic book, the movie is able to fashion a credible plot about Bucky’s return as the Winter Soldier.  Also like the pointed criticism of the surveillance state.  This film is the opposite of the fascistic Iron Man films.  Plus the action scenes are a lot fun and it’s cool to see Robert Redford as a villain killing people and hailing Hydra.

PROXY

I liked the different things this film was trying to say – The neediness of people who must have attention, the revenge as sick obsession.  I also liked the performances very much and the four main characters were superbly written.  There is a huge twist halfway through and perhaps the film drags slightly in the second half but not much.  Deep, intelligent, and disturbing.

OCULUS

Mike Flanagan’s first film ABSENTIA is one of the better horror films of the last decade – A genuinely original and creepy masterpiece.  OCULUS, with a larger budget and more well known actors, treads carefully between the dark fatalistic horror of ABSENTIA and more commercial sequel generating fare.  I liked this film specially the grim ending but it did have an air of predictability about some scenes.  I agree that mirrors are creepy.

THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN 2

I give the makers of this film props for dealing with Gwen Stacy in a way not too dissimilar from her fate in the comic book but I found all the side plots about Peter Parker’s father and Oscorp confusing and dull.  The main villain, Electro, isn’t that interesting and reminded me of Jim Carrey as The Riddler in BATMAN FOREVER.  The Harry Osborn Green Goblin was also a bit of a letdown. There are fun action scenes in places but ultimately it’s all forgettable.

THE RAILWAY MAN

The true life story of Eric Lomax, a British POW tortured by the Japanese during World War II, who confronts his torturer years later in the early 1980’s, is interesting and powerful.  However, this movie is not.  The set-up scenes at the beginning are poorly directed and dull notable only for Nicole Kidman who looks like her face is made out of silly putty (bad plastic surgery to say the least).  By the time Colin Firth playing Lomax gets to Thailand it’s all anti-climatic.  It is worth noting that the main torture Lomax received was waterboarding.  Yes waterboarding is torture.  This film is a boring disappointment, a form of torture itself- too bad!

FIVE FILMS - AFFLICTED, LUCKY BASTARD, THE MACHINE, THE UNKNOWN KNOWN, SKULL FOREST

AFFLICTED

Like the film WER (which I reviewed on this blog last month), THE AFFLICTED attempts to use found footage to recast a horror movie archetype.  In this case, it’s the vampire and unlike WER this film succeeds because it incorporates just enough of vampire mythology with a fast moving action film.  Nicely plotted with great fight scenes and a likeable main character.  A good film all around that also doesn’t skimp on gore.

LUCKY BASTARD

After complaining about found footage films over the last couple of years, here’s another one that works.  I’m not sure the director had in mind making such a strong statement on the pornographic voyeur culture we’ve become but this film contains much pointed criticism and has great dialogue.  It also contains a very good performance by Jay Paulson as a scary psycho who wins a contest to have sex on a pornographic website.

THE MACHINE

The first 2/3’s of this variation on BLADE RUNNER are quite good.  A decent imagining of a not so distant dystopian future including a cold war with China and creating robots for warfare.  However, the last 1/3 which contains most of the movie’s action is far too genteel and predictable. 

THE UNKNOWN KNOWN

Erroll Morris’s usual documentary bells and whistles (cool graphics, stock footage, various oddities such as dictionary definitions flashing on screen while someone is speaking) fail here because his style of yelling questions from off camera and leaving the rest fail to achieve their goal; exposing Donald Rumsfeld.  Instead, we get Rumsfeld pontificating at length in the most arrogant of tone without a sense of right or wrong (basically he’s a sociopath).  The only thing Morris succeeds in pointing out is Rumsfeld’s deliberately confusing use of verbiage.

SKULL FOREST   

Trying to cover up bad filmmaking as a grindhouse homage with details such as excessive gore, nudity, odd characters, shaky camera shots etc. is coin of the realm these days.  This film is just another example as four women on a camping trip tussle with rich people who hunt humans.  The only thing commendable is there is nudity from the type of women we don’t often see in films like this – middle aged and roly poly. 

FOUR FILMS - THE BORDERLANDS, SAVAGED, STAGE FRIGHT, GALLERY OF FEAR

THE BORDERLANDS

Anybody who’s read my film blog knows that I think the found footage gimmick has been overused.  It’s become good only for headaches and confusion and cheap scares.  However, this is the rare found footage film that is actually pretty good.  Maybe it works because some of it comes from stationary cameras or maybe it works because it’s a slow burner horror filled with creepy moments and a few real scares. The story is about two Vatican investigators plus a technical (sound and video) guy investigating a supposed miracle in a Welsh church in the middle of nowhere. They find something far different.  A truly satisfying in a horrible way twist ending.

SAVAGED

Sometimes a movie benefits from lack of ambition.  This film has a simple premise – Victimized girl is brought back from the dead and coupled with a Native American spirit also seeking vengeance.  Excellent action scenes, very well paced, groovy gore, and bullies who hate everybody (Deaf people, Native Americans, African Americans).  A fun adrenalin ride.

STAGE FRIGHT

There are really two parts to this film.  One part is a satire on Glee and other recent singing teen movies and shows.  That part is very funny (I burst out laughing during the “we’re gay, we’re gay” song).  The other part is a slasher film with an unknown murderer picking off kids at a camp for musical teens.  That is not as successful.  The killings are poorly spaced out (everything happens towards the end) and it is very easy to guess who the killer(s) is/are.  Still, I give it kudos for the funny parts and the presence of Meatloaf as the camp director/owner.

GALLERY OF FEAR

This horror anthology film utilizes its low budget as a strength going for a deliberately goofy look and feel but an overly long last story and a dumb wraparound story make it very uneven.  The second story is the highlight about a put upon loser who is befriended by a monster who lives in the sewers.  Really reminded of the Stephen King story The Crate as seen in CREEPSHOW.