Weekly Review -- Isolation in its many forms

Pulse (2006) -- I did not expect much from Pulse. For me, it was an interesting film to see, since I saw the original, Kairo, fairly recently and was eager to compare and contrast. However, I figured that the rather delicate philosophical aspect of the original would undergo a not-so-delicate transformation in the remake, becoming pure shock value guided by chills and thrills. Unfortunately, I was right. The film lacks all the symbolism of the original; it is dull, dark and depressing, without context or cohesive meaning.


**SPOILERS AHEAD**


After her boyfriend Josh (Jonathan Tucker) commits suicide, student Mattie Webber (Kristen Bell) notices that people are starting to fade into oblivion and that these disappearances are seemingly linked to a strange computer signal. Mattie and her friends soon discover that the signal is coming from the world of the dead, who are trying to infiltrate our world and take away our will to live. They have to find a way to stop it, but time is running out fast...

While the original film explored the story within the context of the Internet age and technology-induced isolation, enriching its message with its proceedings, Pulse squeezes its potential metaphors into the preachy screenplay. The ways to depict the gradual extinction of human interaction -- text messages, computer chats etc. -- feel like expositional tools, rather than part of the story's flow. As far as the scares go, the scenes which are genuinely haunting in Kairo merely feel like bad CGI in this version. I am referring in particular to the scene in which a female ghost claims the life of Stone (Rick Gonzalez), which felt like an uncompromising piece of cinematic Hell in the original and which here feels like... well, like we have seen it all before and the show was much better the first time around. I found the opening scene and the very last shot frightening; other than those, the scares seemed generic, without having had much thought or soul put into them. The acting is not much to write home about, either. Kristen Bell tries to make something out of the material and mostly does a decent job, but Ian Somerhalder sleeps through his performance. The rest of the cast is not that bad, although there are no stand-outs.

The general atmosphere of Pulse leaves the impression of a film harbouring pretentious arthouse aspirations when it is unable to fulfill them, due to its lack of subtlety and convincing writing. The film is not a study of our world falling victim to its own progress; rather, it is a poorly thought out film that tries to gain attention by sensationalizing its story and turning up its shock volume. In short, Pulse feels like an unreadable carbon copy of Kairo.

5/10


Sheitan (2006) -- Finally, a film that rendered me speechless. No, not in a good way. I am still trying to figure out if this film had a point and what exactly it was. A group of twenty-somethings, including Bart (Olivier Bartélémy), Yasmine (Leïla Bekhti) and Eve (Roxane Mesquida), decide to have some fun at Eve's country mansion. Once they get to the countryside, they start acting like stereotypical city guys and gals, making fun of the 'hicks' and practically knocking down livestock. Soon, they meet Joseph (Vincent Cassel), the housekeeper, who is acting overwhelmingly friendly. As the night progresses, the youngsters realize that they may be more welcome than they originally thought...


**SPOILERS AHEAD**


When done right, films that deal with the dark side of human nature can leave you with an unsettling sense of fear, disgust and disbelief. Wolf Creek and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are good examples. However, Sheitan proved to be more vulgar and disturbing than anything. It lacked suspenseful, creaky moments to be a horror film; it was too disturbing to be a horror comedy; and it dipped into so many genres, it could not decide where it belonged in the end. The entire "was it just a dream?" shtick has been done to death and back in so many horror movies, and here it seemed to be tacked on for the purpose of trying to make the mess hip and interesting. I could barely appreciate the irony of the names Mary and Joseph; if only the screenplay had been intelligent, if we had been given a chance to feel anything for any of the characters and if the human depravity aspect had been explored without inappropriate humor, I would have possibly been able to laugh at that part, but "if only" does not a clever film make. I have no idea what Vincent Cassel was doing in Sheitan, but the good thing is that Joseph is different from most of the other characters he has played, so at least he had a chance to show his versatility. That is about the only recommendation I have for this film. Do not waste your time or money.

2/10

Weekly Review -- The debatable, the kissable and the laughable

Children of Men (2006) -- One of the most exhilarating visions of the future you will ever see, Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men is a bleak and disturbing look at the worst version of humanity. In 2027, fertility is a thing of the past. The world is in a state of complete anarchy, a place where human life is worthless and where people are mourning the death of an eighteen-year old boy, who just so happens to have been the youngest person on the planet. In London, jaded former activist Theodore Faron (Clive Owen) gets an urgent request from his former partner, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore). Julian needs him to obtain the hard-to-come-by transit papers for Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), who seems like the usual desperate refugee to Theodore at first... until he discovers she is pregnant. After realizing what is at stake, Theodore decides to escort Kee to the Human Project, a sanctuary where doctors are working to find the cause of and cure for infertility. As one can imagine, the road is full of obstacles. The pregnancy has the potential to tip the scales of the world's despair toward either celebration or even more rioting; the government treats refugees as subhumans; and, throughout the journey, there is constant warfare on the streets and in the suburbs of dark, cold England. The aspects of the film that left the biggest impression on me were the cinematography, set design and production design. The look of the film is so striking and unsettling, it often felt as if I was watching a dystopian documentary. The acting is fantastic all around. Clive Owen colors his character with deep shades of sadness and cynicism, but also hues of unbeatable hope. Michael Caine provides an attempt at light-heartedness in a world of uncompromising violence, playing Theo's old friend Jasper Palmer. As always, Julianne Moore is quietly intense, while Chiwetel Ejiofor and Pam Ferris provide powerful supporting turns as Luke and Miriam, two of the activists. The film is a philosophical treatise on the meaning of life but, even more so, it is a study in paradox -- an exploration of the fragile strength of human relationships and connections that can either make or break our world.

8/10


The Last Kiss (2006) -- Developing a film that deals with real life issues can be tough. It needs to have a realistic story, relatable and not necessarily likeable characters, and a cast that do not look like they were pulled from a Paris catwalk. The Last Kiss explores fears that accompany the journey into adulthood in a non-airbrushed manner, giving us plenty of material to relate to and characters who look like actual human beings and are trying to resolve actual problems. Michael (Zach Braff) is in a long-term relationship with Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), who has just announced she is pregnant. While trying to deal with the news , he meets college student Kim (Rachel Bilson), starting a friendship that threatens to develop into something more. I liked the fact that not everything about the film was glossy and neatly wrapped up with a bow. People change, come together and grow up, while relationships evolve all the time. One aspect that needed improving was the character development, as well as a Fatal Attraction subtext in the Michael-Kim storyline. As true-to-life as the screenplay is, I wish that the characters had been more fleshed out; for example, I wish we had been able to see more of Jenna and Michael's history, as well as Michael's parents' perspective on the whole deal. As for Michael and Kim... well, this is the tricky part of the story for me. The entire film reminded me of another, more poignant film dealing with impending adulthood -- Beautiful Girls. I could believe Timothy Hutton's character's whimsical attachment to Natalie Portman's Marty, simply because she was a metaphorical character more than anything, an idealistic throwback to a youth that was gone with the wind. On the other hand, I could not exactly believe that Michael would risk his relationship and career, and abandon his responsibilities to go to a party and make out with a nineteen-year old hormonal babe. Having said that, this is still a thoughtful film to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon and quietly reflect on life's numerous possibilities.

7/10


Crank (2006) -- From the mindless title to the mindless parody, this so-called movie should be cranked down to a minimum. It plays like an overlong, frenetic music video and mostly wastes the charisma of its star. Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) is a mafia hit man, who plans to quit and settle down with his girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart). However, he finds out that he was injected with "The Beijing Cocktail", a poison that will kill him, unless he manages to keep his adrenaline at a certain level. In order to stay alive and get revenge, Chev does not stop moving, literally going from thrill from thrill, jumping from one rush into another head on. I could appreciate the film's parody of its own genre and its tongue-in-cheek, self-effacing drollness; still, I could not help feeling dissatisfied when it had ended. I did not and could not expect a deep cinematic work of art with this premise, but the film is full of situations that are ludicrous beyond the realms of parody. The Chinatown scene immediately comes to mind, as do all the hospital scenes. Statham makes this movie watchable, combining his usual tough-guy persona with dry humor and creating in Chev a sympathetic caricature of a gangster. Amy Smart demonstrates the same kind of innocent, hilarious charm that she showed in 2002's Interstate 60, and the actors make for a good couple. Still, the film in itself is empty -- high on action and very low on substance -- and one fails to see the point of the very space it occupies on store shelves. Rent it if you would like to give your brain a vacation.

4/10

Weekly Review -- Quirky and fatal trips

Danny Deckchair (2003) -- Films dealing with underdogs pulling through can make for inspirational entertainment, which is exactly what this Jeff Balsmeyer offering accomplishes. Cement truck driver Danny Morgan (Rhys Ifans) is looking forward to a camping holiday with his girlfriend Trudy (Justine Clarke). However, when Trudy blows him off in favor of hooking up with a local sportscaster (Rhys Muldoon), Danny flies away in a chair to which he has tied a bunch of balloons. He lands in Clarence, a picturesque town hundreds of miles away, where he crashes into parking cop Glenda's (Miranda Otto) backyard and soon wins her over. Since no one in town knows his story, Danny sees it as a chance to starts from scratch, but, at the same time, fame-hungry Trudy will not stop looking for him... Ifans's versatility and quirky acting style convey Danny's childlike idealism and curiosity perfectly, while Otto provides excellent balance as the grounded Glenda, who seems to be waiting for the best moment to break out of her shell. I feel that the fantasy elements contribute to the story's whimsy; when I say 'fantasy elements', I am not only referring to certain directorial touches, but about the generally fresh, nostalgic look and atmosphere of the film. The film is apparently based on the story of Larry Walters a.k.a. Lawnchair Larry, a North Hollywood truck driver who created an aircraft out of his lawnchair in 1982. Still, the biographical aspect is far from relevant for this film, which is an enchanting escape from reality. This is the film to watch if you want to enjoy, smile and cheer.

8/10


Snakes on a Plane (2006) -- Ah, the most famous cinematic reptiles of the last five years. This film had already generated incredible buzz about a year before it was released, mostly due to its painfully obvious title and the involvement of Mr. Cool, Samuel L. Jackson. It was promising to be a truly delicious B-movie, with silly one-liners and ludicrous action sequences, and it delivers on this promise. Surfer Sean Jones (Nathan Phillips) is at the wrong place at the wrong time. He witnesses an execution carried out by the henchmen of notorious gangster Eddie Kim (Byron Lawson). FBI agent Nelville Flynn (Jackson) has the task of escorting Sean to Los Angeles, where he will testify against Kim. However, the turbulence proves not to be the only problem on the flight, since Kim has arranged for hundreds of poisonous snakes to be released from a timed crate. Disgusting deaths, panic and cheesy mayhem ensue, while Flynn is trying to whisk the passengers to safety and fight off the snakes. I liked the fact that the movie was not taking itself seriously at all. The screenplay is full of cheeky remarks, such as "I want what every flight attendant wants -- low maintenance passengers", and hilariously intentional stereotypes, such as the Paris Hilton wannabe and the sexist pilot. There are numerous plot holes but, with this kind of blatantly ridiculous story, you would be hard-pressed to find any plausibility, and you should not even try. Essentially, Snakes on a Plane is the kind of film with a self-explanatory title. You will get exactly what you expect, and you will quite possibly overdose on fun.

7/10

Weekly Review -- Between spellbound and spelled out

The Covenant (2006) -- There are not too many films nowadays that deal with supernatural themes in a cinematically menacing manner. The newer horror films in general are usually saturated with beautiful people, CGI effects and MTV-style slang dialogue, with little or no attention being paid to the intrusion of the paranormal occurrences in the characters' lives or a possible metaphorical meaning of these events. These are all elements that make retro supernatural horror films, such as Don't Look Now and The Shining, relevant even today. Renny Harlin's new thriller contains an interesting premise, but suffers from poor execution. Caleb (Steven Strait), Pogue (Taylor Kitsch), Tyler (Chace Crawford) and Reid (Toby Hemingway) are commonly known as the Sons of Ipswich in their Massachusetts hometown. They are descendants of a paranormal legacy and inheritors of Wicca powers that can weaken them if overused. Enter new guy, cocky Chase Collins (Sebastian Stan), whose behavior threatens to expose the four friends' haunting backgrounds and endanger their families. The writing leaves much to be desired. The screenplay feels like a cliché draft, populated with underdeveloped characters and gratuitous nudity without context. The dialogues are bland, expositional and in dire need of refreshing quips. The acting is not much better, since the cast is wooden and do not even make the best of what they have to work with. Now, for the positive aspects. The mythology of the story is very interesting, especially since films about male witches are hard to come by. The villain provides an opportunity to be quite a character; there are some truly innovative effects; the locales and cinematography are gorgeous and fit the story to a T; and there are some beautiful shots, such as the one of Sarah (Laura Ramsey) and Caleb in front of the Danvers mansion. It all comes down to the script again, though, which fails to add layers to the story and capitalize on its potential. There is not much substance beneath the glossy surface, which makes you wonder why such a unique story was just cranked out and not explored in more detail. All in all, I did not think that The Covenant deserved the bashing it received upon its release, but the fact remains that its promise was unfulfilled.

5/10