Happy Halloween!!

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A reminder for Canadian viewers -- Space: The Imagination Station is showing three cool flicks to make you hide behind the sofa. Catch Black Christmas, Candyman and Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh on Space tonight!

Enjoy the scary movies and creepy treats, everyone!

Weekly Review -- Weekend of scares

Stay Alive (2006) – Between The Exorcist, Candyman, Urban Legend and other horror gems dominating the airwaves these days, I squeezed in this horror film. After their friend is found murdered, a group of 20-somethings start playing “Stay Alive”, a game he played right before he died. The game is based on the gruesome tale of Elizabeth Bathory, otherwise known as the Blood Countess, who butchered hundreds of girls in the 17th century in her quest for eternal youth. Strange events start occurring, as the friends realize that the title is a wee bit more literal than they could have imagined – if a player dies while playing, they die the same way in real life. Now the group, which includes loner Hutch (Jon Foster), Goth girl October (Sophia Bush) and her slacker brother Phineas (Jimmi Simpson), must figure out the game’s origins while trying to survive the wrath of what seems to be Bathory’s ghost. First off, I have to say that I did not appreciate transplanting the entire legend of Bathory to the States without any acknowledgement, but I could not expect much from a film with so few original ideas. The film borrows freely from The Ring, while spicing up the proceedings with I Know What You Did Last Summer-style teen angst. While the far superior Ring’s main attractions were a video tape that killed the viewer seven days after they have watched it, spectral entities that appeared out of nowhere and a story shrouded in a mystery, Stay Alive showcases a game that kills the player after they have played it, spectral entities that appear out of nowhere and another story shrouded in a mystery; even the audio effects resemble those from The Ring. The writing leaves much to be desired, what with “hilarious” lines such as “The problem with your mouth is that stupid, insensitive shit comes out of it”. The acting is forgettable and the characters are cinematic clichés. The only actor that comes out unscathed is Foster, who does the best he can incorporating his character’s back story into his present; the problem is, this incident’s expositional dramatics feel out of place. I did think that the display of parallels between the game’s events and real life events was very imaginative. I also liked the suitably dark and moody cinematography, but thought it was too dark and moody in the barely visible opening scene. This horror entry is entertaining enough, with some cool effects and good twists, but suffers from bad characterizations and an advanced case of rip-off syndrome. If and when a sequel is made, let us hope it shows some promise of inventiveness.

5/10


The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) -- I caught this film by accident. I had wanted to rent it for a while, since the 1974 original was one of the films I learned about during my M.A. studies and had struck me with its portrayal of the clash between innocence and madness. In August 1973, four friends are traveling through small-town Texas to get to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Dallas. They pick up a hitchhiker, who not only seems to be hallucinating and frightened, but also proceeds to commit suicide, to everyone's shock. As the group look for authorities and are given the run-around, they realize that someone is sabotaging their attempts to leave; namely, the members of a cannibalistic family led by Thomas Hewitt (Andrew Bryniarski), known affectionately as Leatherface, whose main life pursuit is chasing his prey while wielding a chainsaw. With no one to help them and the night closing in on their isolation, the friends have to rely on their wits if they want to survive the family's insanity. Contrary to some other remakes, director Marcus Nispel's Texas Chainsaw Massacre is not too shabby; in fact, it is downright gruesome and frightening. One of the best aspects of the original was its depiction of the human psyche stripped of all humanity, empathy and remorse. While the remake relies more on the stylized low-budget feel and jumps, it still succeeds in portraying depraved actions some humans are capable of, and these elements contribute to its aim. The scene with the hitchhiker's corpse gave me the chills, as did Leatherface's hunts and subsequent kills. The acting is not the strongest point of the film -- the cinematography, camerawork and editing would be it -- but is convincing throughout. Jessica Biel, who usually fails to impress me, does a very good job as Erin. Her character evolves from passer-by to victim to potential survivor, all the while being tough as nails. R. Lee Ermey simultaneously disgusts and scares as Sheriff Hoyt, while Bryniarski is effectively monstrous as Leatherface. The atmosphere in the opening and closing scenes is reminiscent of the original in its raw quality, bringing an archival authenticity to the story. I also thought that some changes made to the script, i.e. a teenage girl instead of a male hitchhiker and the compassionate murder of one of the characters, were not merely add-ons; instead, they added an emotional punch to the events. Nispel's film remains faithful to the original's core themes and creates a psychological impact on its own, making it one of the better cinematic reiterations out there.

8/10

Weekly Review -- Halloween spirit takes over :-)

Ghost stories conquering TV channels and grinning pumpkins mingling with crunchy leaves in the autumn air can only mean one thing -- Halloween is on our doorstep. I felt like watching a horror film today, but still felt wary, so I decided to rent the remake of a film I had seen about ten times earlier, since it seemed like a safe bet. My reasoning was also professional, since the original film was one of the films I wrote my M.A. thesis about, so I was really interested to see the similarities and differences between the two versions.


The Omen (2006) -- I had no idea what to expect from this remake. As far as I could make out from the trailer, it could either be a rehash of the 1976 original à la Van Sant's Psycho, or one of those revamped, updated remakes like You've Got Mail. The film offers both kinds of elements and is actually quite enjoyable. Diplomat Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber) and his wife Katherine's (Julia Stiles) baby dies at birth. Since he knows Katherine would be crushed by the loss, Robert makes a deal with hospital officials -- a baby boy whose mother just died will take the place of their biological child, without Kate ever knowing. The boy, Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick), grows up healthy and happy, but things are far from idyllic in the Thorn household. Bizarre tragedies start occurring, including Damien's nanny (Amy Huck) committing suicide and some other people meeting their untimely demise, forcing Robert to research the identity of the child, which proves to be more horrifying than anyone can fathom.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The film's script mostly sticks to the 1976 version -- probably thanks to the fact that the original writer, David Seltzer, also authored this screenplay -- but this faithfulness is a double-edged sword. The biggest problem is that the original is so iconic, so well known and discussed, that the new film does not really have anything new to offer. We know what is in store, which makes it hard for this film to offer even one shred of unpredictability.

Having said that, there are some unnecessary add-on scenes and dialogues. For example, why emphasize that Katherine is a stay-at-home mom? Her status was much more effective in the original, where it was a subtle topic for discussion, rather than a politically correct acknowledgement. Katherine's death scene is also changed, presumably in order to needlessly up the gore and brutality factor. The usage of the color red to signal upcoming crucial events was already essential to some other films (I will not say which ones, since I do not want to spoil anything), so the gimmick loses much of its significance here. Contrary to the original, the cinematography feels more stylized than spontaneously frightening and, personally, I did not think that the bright colors and attempts at subliminal imagery contributed to the themes. I liked the beginning of the film a lot, though. The church scenes added a sense of urgency to the proceedings and some of the current events were well incorporated into the Bible references. Throughout the film, the locations are appropriately ghastly and the Thorns' bewilderment by their son's behavior is not forced, but increases gradually, with each "accident".

As far as the casting and acting goes, Schreiber is somber enough for the role of Robert, going from a don't-mess-with-my-family attitude to realizing the inevitable. His scene in the Rome hospital and the one in which he learns about Kate's death endear him to the viewer. David Thewlis and Pete Postelthwaite provide nice touches as the unassuming paparazzo and doomed priest, respectively. On the other hand, I did not buy Julia Stiles as the mother. She is a decent actress, but her youth gets in the way for this particular role and, at times, she looks like she is playing dress-up. I stand firm in my belief that this role should have been played by an actress who is at least near Schreiber's age; someone like Nicole Kidman or Monica Bellucci would have been much more convincing. Besides Schreiber, Mia Farrow is another terrific part of the cast, adding deceptive sweetness to the poison that is Mrs. Baylock and chilling each scene to the bone.

When it comes to the central role of Damien, I have to say that I preferred Harvey Stephens to Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. The reason why Stephens was so spooky in the role is that he would never let the Devil side overshadow his facade of innocence and childish smiles; however, Davey-Fitzpatrick frowns throughout the film, letting us know he is the creepy kid from the beginning. Damien's evil is just too obvious for my taste here.

The Omen remake is, in my opinion, one of the better remakes to come out in the recent couple of years. It does occasionally suffer from a style overdose, as well as from some unnecessary changes, but the story is pertinent to our world, as I suspect it always will be.

7/10

And a sequel to yesterday's post...

These are not really underrated, but they are excellent films that not all horror fans may have seen.

In honour of Friday the 13th...

... and in anticipation of Halloween, here are some underrated horror recommendations. Look them up, they rock. Enjoy!

Weekly Review -- Fame and fortune, anyone?

I Love Your Work (2003) -- Films about the perils of celebrity and hype can fall under one of two categories: sharp satires like Woody Allen's 1998 gem Celebrity or intellectual(ized) ruminations on the meaning of fame like Phil Joanou's underrated Entropy. Adam Goldberg's I Love Your Work falls somewhere in between, but also bites off more than it can chew on occasion. Hip Hollywood It boy Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) has a lot on his plate. The tabloids are slaughtering his relationship with starlet wife Mia Lang (Franka Potente); the superficiality of the business is getting to him, making him question his choices and integrity; and, to top it all off, he has to contend with a stalker (Jason Lee). Throughout the proceedings, he cannot seems to let go of the one that got away, Shana (Christina Ricci), as the doomed relationship starts seeping into every aspect of his life. Soon, his empty existence starts disintegrating and every second starts teetering between fantasy and reality. The writing and acting are the film's strong points, as is Goldberg's directing. The film is very effective when it turns its mocking eye toward the commercialized movie business; I loved the metaphorical zoo and paparazzi scenes. However, the exploration of topics such as God and humanity is unnecessary and unfinished. There does not appear to be enough time to cram these concepts in, so they end up as merely mentioned for the sake of pretentiousness. Ribisi is appropriately confused and occasionally disturbed as Gray, while Potente radiates jaded bitterness as Mia. Jason Lee's performance is a pleasant surprise, with his slacker film persona serving him well in the role of an obsessed individual. The flashback sequences are inventively filmed, surprising the viewer at each turn and with every revelation. I Love Your Work is an imaginative study on the pitfalls of fame, epitomizing that old "Be careful what you wish for" adage. Be careful, indeed.

7/10

Weekly Review -- Lighter cinema ahead... soon enough

After the onslaught that was Silent Hill, I have decided not to watch horror films until Halloween. Not many films have that effect on me -- needing to give up on a genre for a while -- but this one still haunts me. It was much too visceral and the violence was too brutal. Sooo... I rented some comedies, but still managed to bump into an old horror film on TV. The only reason why I saw it was that a) I had read about the film and the book when I was researching articles for my M.A. thesis and b) I was worried that I may not be able to find the DVD in video stores.


The Other (1972) -- This wistfully eerie film starts out with identical twins, Niles and Holland Perry (Chris and Martin Udvarnoky), playing a game. As we soon see, they always play together, their family living in near-isolation in California's farm country. However, something is off. Niles is a happy, outgoing child, while Holland is a bit on the, shall we say... devilish side. From rats to fires, there is nothing Holland will not try to stir things up, to put it mildly. It does not take long for Niles to realize that Holland's tricks are getting more and more dangerous and he tries to tell his grandmother Ada (Uta Hagen), but how can they stop Holland before he hurts someone else? I found the game Niles and Ada were playing to be a terrific plot device, first being a tool to disassociate Niles's possibly psychic abilities from Holland's evil, and then leading us to... well, I would never tell. Hagen gives a touching performance as the baffled grandmother, while Diana Muldaur is heartbreaking as Alexandra, the twins' mother. The Udvarnoky twins are a discovery and fans should look for the late, great John Ritter in one of his early works. The scares are aided by Robert Surtees's ethereal cinematography and legendary Jerry Goldsmith's score. The Other is one of those the-less-you-know-the-better films. Its representation of evil is truly frightening, and there are numerous psychological layers to the story. It is a great example of old school, innovative filmmaking and, similarly to 1976's The Omen, it will make you see innocence with new eyes.

8/10


Phat Girlz (2006) -- Comedienne Mo'Nique takes on a leading role in this screwball comedy attempt, which never really gets off the ground in terms of originality or technical aspects, but still manages to elicit a few good laughs with its heartfelt message. Jazmin Biltmore (Mo'Nique) is a sales clerk for a famous department store and an aspiring fashion designer. She also happens to be plus-sized, alternating between self-acceptance and desperately trying to shed the extra weight. She and her friend and colleague Stacey (Kendra C. Johnson) constantly wallow in misery that they feel is caused both by their physical appearance and by the Western society's narrow views of beauty. Everything changes when Jazmin, her cousin Mia (Joyful Drake) and Stacey go to Palm Springs for a much deserved vacation and end up meeting someone with a different perspective. Phat Girlz mostly suffers from too many crude gags and, as they would say, shoddy workmanship. The sound is muffled throughout, the camerawork is amateurish and, at one point, it looks as if the cinematographer was suddenly switched. As for the jokes, I thought the film would have been much more successful, and the story more effective, had the screenwriter relied on exploring the characters' relationships rather than using Jackass-style buffoonery; they could have done without the Fatass Burger part, to name one example. The film does have good points, though, namely a positive outlook on appearance and some truly funny situations. Mo'Nique makes for a likeable lead and Kendra C. Johnson is appealing as the shy girl who slowly abandons her shell. The bank scene had me in tears from laughing, and some Palm Springs scenes are hilarious as well. Overall, Nnegest Likké's first film is a light, feel-good movie, which could have been an even funnier exposé on our society's perceptions.

5/10