Happy Halloween!

I wish you lots of thrills, chills, pumpkins and candy! Naturally, I also wish you lots of good horror movies. After the anti-scary letdown that was The Happening, I am looking forward to seeing and reviewing The Strangers.

Here is a quick recommendation overview of some excellent and rarely seen horror films, in no particular order of spooky awesomeness:

Them (2006), dirs. David Moreau and Xavier Palud -- Primal, tense and shocking, this film is made even more engaging by its realistic subject matter and relatable characters.

Blood Trails (2006), dir. Robert Krause -- A determined heroine and an intense villain in the midst of remote and menacing locations make this atmospheric film a winner.

High Tension (2003), dir. Alexandre Aja -- Often (unfairly) maligned, this film is a creepy cinematic slaughterhouse, colored by steely dread from the first sequence to the last.

Anatomy (2000), dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky -- Combining the slasher and medical thriller sub-genres, this work is a bloody delectable horror treat.

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971), dir. John D. Hancock -- As if created in a dream, this adventure into the human psyche weaves the supernatural into its narrative... or is it the other way around? You will have to see for yourself.

The Sender (1982), dir. Roger Christian -- A nightmarish landscape peppered by hallucinatory visions, the visceral quality of this dark tale should elevate it to higher cult status.

Campfire Tales (1997), dirs. Matt Cooper, Martin Kunert et al. -- A nice collection of urban legends, this movie contains some excellent bump-in-the-night moments.

Pulse (2001), dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa -- Forget about that slap-dash, nonsensical remake. The original is a metaphor of the most sophisticated kind, playing upon contemporary fears and critiquing the modern world. You will never look at computers, loneliness, or your own shadow for that matter, the same way again.

Hatchet (2006), dir. Adam Green -- Poking fun at everything from monster movies to teen slashers to pop culture, this is a horror-comedy hybrid that is perfect if you like to laugh while hiding behind your couch.

Someone's Watching Me! (1978), dir. John Carpenter -- Carpenter's foray into TV came right after he had already directed his slasher masterpiece Halloween. This offering is an eerie film about stalking, which Carpenter's filmmaking skills make even more frightening, if possible.

Enjoy!

Weekly Review -- Not exactly eventful

The Happening (2008) -- Talk about a disappointment. Take a story with unlimited potential, possible elements of surprise and interesting locations, and what do you get? A jumbled, boring, random predicament of a movie, if you ask M. Night Shyamalan. On a day like today, a strange event takes over the East Coast. People start "switching off" -- losing focus, distancing themselves, hallucinating, and ultimately committing suicide. After getting word on the occurrences, science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) leave their Philadelphia home, with fellow teacher Julian (John Leguizamo) and his daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez) in tow. After escaping to a rural area, Elliot starts figuring out just what is taking place and who is behind the seemingly biochemical attack... There are so many problems with this movie, that it is hard to know where to start. The lazy writing is the primary one. The twists are non-existent and the resolution to the mystery is bland; the filmmakers should have explored some of the ideas presented at the very end instead. On another note, viewers should be playing a drinking game whenever a line containing the word "happening" pops up -- hey, that is an idea. As far as the acting goes, rare is a film capable of making its own cast unnoticeable and irrelevant. Mark Wahlberg, whose range generally consists of three emotions -- surprise, anger and determination -- is completely miscast as a teacher, managing to miss the right affect almost on the dot. Deschanel fares a bit better as his wife, but even her trademark offbeat vulnerability is buried somewhere beneath the horrendous screenplay. The gore does not add anything to the story and the supporting characters are not quirky, or even remotely interesting; they are redundant and not given anything to endear them to the audience. The metaphors are a whole other tricky issue. The environmentalist discourse is heavy-handed, while some parts near the end are preachy to the point of being offensive. Evoking Adam, Eve and creationism must count as a desperate bid to save a movie, not to mention that it makes absolutely no sense in the context. The only exciting thing about The Happening is the trailer, and you do not even have to leave your residence to see it. It is unbelievable that the same man who brought us the intense originality of The Sixth Sense is responsible for this incoherent mess. Avoid at all costs.

3/10

Weekly Review -- Seeing double?

Deception (2008) -- Somewhere between Basic Instinct, Fight Club and Pacific Heights lies Marcel Langenegger's Deception. I am still not sure how to classify this one, since it leaves a strange impression of a promise not fully realized. Auditor Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is stuck in a rut of his life, until he meets mysterious and rather pompous attorney Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman). Wyatt does not waste any time in his attempts to make Jonathan's life exciting, introducing his green friend to the so-called List -- an anonymous sex club involving random encounters and guaranteed discretion. It is not too long after Jonathan gets involved with the List that a murder is committed and he becomes the prime suspect... The main problem with the movie is the fact that the story often feels stilted. It does not have a natural, logical flow to it, which might be due to the editing process, some contrived twists or even some illogical turns of events. Why would Jonathan, who does not seem open to begin with, get high with and tell his life story to a complete stranger? Why does the police not investigate the place of business Wyatt has mentioned to Jonathan as his law firm? How come there are no witnesses to be found? These questions beg for answers, but to no avail. I also felt that the List's potential could have been explored more, particularly in the police investigation. The one good thing about the movie is the acting. Jackman once again proves his versatility, oozing self-assured pretense and sleaze throughout the movie, while McGregor has great timing in showing Jonathan's various sides, many of which we learn about as the story unfolds. Michelle Williams brings somber appeal to a mostly thankless role, while Charlotte Rampling is a delight as one of the List's clients. I also found Dante Spinotti's cinematography eerily glamorous, providing a perfect backdrop for the events. Taking all these factors into account, it is a shame that the writers did not delve further into the interesting story and made it more consistently suspenseful. Although worth seeing for the talented performers, Deception does not bring anything new to the thriller genre and is far from being as deliciously twisted as it could have been.

6/10

Weekly Review -- Love stories and other question marks

High Art (1998) -- A reflective study of human nature and relationships interweaving, Lisa Cholodenko's first feature film is a love story of the highest order. 

Assistant magazine editor Cyd (Radha Mitchell) accidentally discovers that a reclusive and infamous photographer, Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy), lives in the apartment above her own. Their exchanges soon lead to a fiery liaison, but also a professional development for each woman, after Cyd arranges a cover assignment for a very reluctant Lucy. However, the professional and personal soon intertwine, leaving the women grappling with her own demons in the midst of a budding affair... 

Cholodenko depicts the complexities of intimacy in a visually subtle manner, through soft close-ups and the fluctuating intensity of colors. The characters are shown through a kaleidoscope of traits, with no clear black and white in the midst of desire, only shades of gray. Neither woman is comfortable with the direction her life is taking, each one seeing salvation in the other. However, the problem lies in the fact that both Cyd and Lucy bring unresolved problems to the affair, while lacking the emotional tools that could help them cope with their baggage. Their passion is further stunted by their lack of focus -- Cyd is in limbo between her sexual awakening and possibly selling out, while Lucy is stuck between a turbulent past and an uncertain future. All of their inner conflicts are a major hindrance in Cyd and Lucy's decision-making; we do not know until the very end if either one of them will take the next step in the romance.  

The acting is impressive all around. Mitchell is a vision of chaos as the deeply torn Cyd; Sheedy as Lucy is a vulnerable, self-destructive and unstoppable force; and the incredibly expressive Patricia Clarkson is a standout as Greta, Lucy's needy ex-lover. 

High Art is an intelligent, thought-provoking film, one that relishes its metaphorical references to the irony of its title. After all, the process of negotiating one's passion at any price, inadvertently or not, denotes selling art of greatest value.

8/10