Weekly Review -- Scare tactics

The Fourth Kind (2009) -- Alien abduction films have rarely been a strong factor in cinema, presumably due to the deeply intimate and skepticism-inducing subject matter. The latest work dealing with the topic is director Olatunde Osunsanmi's chiller. In Nome, Alaska, psychologist Abigail Tyler (Milla Jovovich) has been interviewing patients with very similar stories, all involving creepy nighttime occurrences and uninvited visitors. After reviewing their accounts, Tyler comes to a startling realization that the encounters were most likely alien abductions and, faster than you can utter 'UFO', she runs into mistrust from the town sheriff (Will Patton) and disbelief from a colleague (Elias Koteas). She links the events to the murder of her husband, but puts herself and her family in extreme danger as her research goes on... For some reason, the film reminded me of The Mothman Prophecies, as far as the general ambiance and editing techniques go; heck, the two even have Patton in common. Still, this is where all the similarities end, since the context of Prophecies is much more comprehensible, making the movie more frightening in its depiction of the unknown. The Fourth Kind wanders thematically from one aspect to another, not exactly sure of where it might end up. It certainly does offer scares -- my heart practically stopped during one of the hypnosis sessions -- but its style makes it seem perplexing rather than spooky, the abduction scenes often bordering on bad surrealism and the "real" story interweaving with the "fictionalized" version in a mostly trite and forceful manner. Exactly how many screens can we have competing for our attention at once? The movie also occasionally overdoses on these mockumentary sequences, which should be adding to the narrative and not distracting the viewer. Osunsanmi fares best when veering into Blair Witch territory and creating not-quite-there terror, a quality he should have been drawing upon for the entire piece. The acting is adequate, with Jovovich giving unexpected nuances to Tyler, and Patton and Koteas providing a healthy serving of suspicion as the mystified locals; however, I have to say that, by the end, I became quite annoyed with Patton's character, being that the unexplained had been too glaring to ignore and that he had absolutely no basis for treating Tyler the way he did. Overall, The Fourth Kind is all right for one viewing, if you would like to see a different sort of scary treat, but it is too jumbled and indecisive to be delectable.

6/10


Eden Lake (2008) -- The rawness of silver screen horror has been the subject of fierce debate for at least a decade. It has been said that the genre was diluted by the social and cinematic epoch of post-modern self-reference and political correctness, but it has also been argued that some of the most intense recent horror tales arose from precisely these circumstances. Enter Eden Lake, a film that uses its themes both to test the audience's sensibilities and to hint at issues that hide beneath the volatile surface.

When Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and her boyfriend Steve (Michael Fassbender) set off on a romantic weekend getaway, they only have each other on their minds, with Steve planning to propose in the idyllic lake setting. What they are not counting on is running into a group of teenage thugs, led by the violently impulsive Brett (Jack O'Connell), who proceed to harass the couple until things get out of hand and the shell-shocked visitors have to run for their lives...

While the DVD cover may imply your run-of-the-mill slasher flick, filmmaker James Watkins takes what could have been a bland tale to the next level. Yes, Eden Lake does deliver if you are looking for bloody, sadistic violence, and is definitely not for the faint of heart; yes, it contains plot holes that render the logic of the events impossible, such as the existence of GPS, getting lost in the wilderness during the most technologically advanced decade of all time and one character's actions that defy common sense. However, due to its central conflict between the "locals" and the "intruders", the film could and should also be viewed as a piece on social warfare. Its layers are peeled slowly and surely, from the way it represents the power struggle between the classes at the dawn of the latest recession, to hinting at xenophobia, so prevalent in numerous European countries nowadays, Great Britain being one of the top contenders for the front line. The idea of youth gone wild -- a frequent news topic, as we can see at the beginning -- is one of the main points that the narrative deals with, and exploring the above mentioned questions through this equally explosive issue is both a shocking and novel concept for a genre film. The ending is highly allegorical in the context of the film's politics, particularly the last few seconds, which utilize a strong sense of irony to bring to mind concerns of adaptation versus assimilation.

The performances are excellent, heightening the dread into a human saga. Reilly adds a unique touch to her portrayal of a teacher forced into a life-and-death situation. When we see Jenny in her classroom and with Steve in the first fifteen minutes, it is easy for us to believe that she is as innocent and wide-eyed as her students. Her presence and voice is so delicate and otherworldly, that its contrast with the later brutalities is almost too much to bear. Fassbender is compelling as Steve, whose motives are justified, but whose bullheadedness provokes many of the escalations, and O'Connell shows a lot of promise as Brett, the leader of the delinquent pack.

Eden Lake is one of those works that are sometimes overlooked for their superficial value, but that need to be appreciated for offering a story behind the story. Its significance lies in its impeccable timing, a happenstance that transforms the screenplay into a post-millennial sociological essay. A multi-dimensional, uncompromising piece, Eden Lake taps into contemporary paranoia while delving into controversy and, for that display of ingenuity, it deserves to be seen.

8/10

Summer Review #2 -- Salt

One of the action/thriller entries in the 2010 summer movie pantheon, Phillip Noyce's Salt is a mixed bag of covert tricks. It delivers in terms of dynamic sequences and leading lady charisma, but its weak story arc and poor character development lead the movie to fall short of expectations.

After interrogating a defector who accuses her of being a Russian spy, CIA operative Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) finds herself on the run. With a skeptical colleague (Liev Schreiber) and a determined counter-intelligence agent (Chiwetel Ejiofor) tracking her every move, she desperately tries to find her husband (August Diehl) and elude capture, while rushing to prevent an assassination that she is supposedly linked to...

I felt shaken, rattled and rolled after seeing Salt, what with the juggernaut stunts and shootouts and chases occurring in quick succession. The story, though filled with twists and turns, does not offer much substance or character evolution. The screenplay suffers from attempting to cram too many genre staples into one yarn without proper justification. Gunfights, assassinations, executions, high jumps, stakeouts -- you name it, Salt has got it. The stunt sequences are impressive, but completely take over the meandering whodunit narrative, which eventually dissolves into violent, conspiratorial chaos. Another problem is the heavy-handed treatment of some scenes; for example, the ending comes very abruptly, and the events explained through a montage could have been dealt with through some innovative exposition. The awkward writing and the slam-bang tendencies of every single situation lend the movie an air of confusion, rather than credibility.

The cast do what they can with the script. As an action hero, Jolie is pretty damn awesome; in fact, she is better than the movie. She has already proved her tough-as-nails bravura in the Lara Croft films and in Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Salt only proves further that she can handle her ordnance and fight, AND look plausibly dangerous while doing it. Her sultry beauty is never a distraction; instead, it is the perfect asset, fatal to any and all opponents. Schreiber gives a somber performance as a fellow CIA agent, and Diehl -- of Inglourious Basterds fame -- has a decidedly more tender turn this time around, playing the husband. And will someone please tell Hollywood already that underusing Chiwetel Ejiofor is a crime?

In its attempts to become the next Bourne Identity, Salt misjudges its logic and leaves the key players in the dust. It is worth seeing if you are looking for an energy rush, but, if you are looking for a deftly constructed spy thriller, you will leave the theatre unfulfilled. Take it with a grain of... well, you know what.

6/10

Weekly Review -- Room to breathe

Fish Tank (2009) -- Independent films are a rare and beautiful breed. Saying more with one glance than most blown-up blockbuster extravaganzas say in their entirety, often using gritty dialogue and context to explore situations that any mainstream work would run away from in a heartbeat, and generally giving new meaning to raw honesty, these gems are the kind of treasure that one finds when one is not looking, and Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank is no different.

Teenager Mia's (Katie Jarvis) life is at a standstill. Living on a council estate with her negligent mother (Kierston Wareing) and foul-mouthed sister (Rebecca Griffiths), and having been suspended from school, she spends her time dreaming about becoming a hip-hop dancer. Things start looking up when her mother's new boyfriend, charming security guard Connor (Michael Fassbender), enters the picture and starts paying attention to Mia and her ambitions, but the friendship soon begins to crumble through a set of rather unseemly circumstances...

The strength of the film lies in writer and director Arnold's willingness to strip bare all of her characters' attitudes, actions and relationships. Instead of shying away from making these people look... well, human, she gives us their truth, from a half-empty bottle to an unmade bed to a breath gone astray. Not one of the characters is purely black and white, and each of them is a palette of emotions, ready to be splashed out into the world at every juncture. Knowing that life is far from perfect, Arnold is unafraid of showing it in its unmasked glory and exposing the virtues and the flaws that make up the human beings she is portraying, as well as rhapsodizing the harsh tenderness of genuine moments that unfalteringly bring out the essence of every single person.

**HUGE SPOILERS (please highlight to read)**

The one part I disliked was the perilous situation involving Connor's daughter Keira, simply because it seemed completely out of context. Up until that point, Mia had been depicted as impulsive and angry, but never as utterly reckless. Having her kidnap Keira and almost cause her death was too dark of a development, even for a film like this one, or maybe especially for a film like this one, being that there is an underlying note of eventual hope woven into every story aspect. It was impossible to figure out Mia's motivation for taking the child, and I am not buying her volatility as a reason. Gratuitous and brutal, the turn of events did not correspond to the organic frankness of the entire piece.

**END OF SPOILERS**

The performances contribute to much of the film's effectiveness. Jarvis is electrifying as the protagonist, her energy vivacious and undeniable. She is capable of projecting pain, fury and melancholy happiness within a matter of seconds; truly a live wire, her Mia interacts more with others through what is unsaid, rather than through what is clearly stated. Fassbender treads a unique and not-so-fine line between affectionate and contemptible as Connor, a father figure who might not be what he appears to be. Wareing is also excellent as the apathetic mother and Griffiths is a star in the making as Tyler, Mia's ignored younger sister.

Fish Tank is a slice of complicated optimism, the kind that can only be found in times and milieus of desperation. Indeed, it deals with people that many would consider to exist on the fringes of society, those among us whose personal growth is stunted by a lack of opportunities, but also by a lack of will to create any. However, its ultimate message concerns finding a sense of self within hardship, following the flow of life's resilience and always remembering that a change may be just around the corner.

8/10