MY FAVORITE PICKS THIS YEAR:
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PROMETHEUS (RECOMMENDED)
Dir: Ridley Scott (ALIEN, BLADERUNNER, THELMA & LOUISE, GLADIATOR, BLACK HAWK DOWN)
Man searches for God - Man finds God - God punches man in the face...
Ongoing scientific and theological debates over theories of our human origins have reached a critical mass in our popular discourse of late, and this film is right on top of it. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY meets Greek tragedy in this mythological epic about man's search for meaning. Unfortunately, terrific high-concept ideas and a great first act set-up ultimately are betrayed by very basic oversights on the surface level of the plot and characters.
In one of the greatest cinematic opening sequences in recent memory, a primordial Earth is impregnated by an alien "Engineer" who sacrifices itself - mixing its own DNA into the eco-system. These alien creators of mankind leave clues of their visit behind, and when we are advanced enough, we set out in search of them. The cold and detached Captain Vickers (Charlize Theron) commands the deep space explorer "Prometheus" and is frankly much too good for her simple role here. The show is stolen by "Dave" (Michael Fassbender), a cyborg who (shock/surprise) is more human than the human characters. The mission is undone by Larry, Daryl & Daryl - the working stiffs of the ships crew who, despite their status as scientists, act more like the ignorant teens of a slasher film. Vickers lives in the shadow of her mad scientist "Captain Ahab" father - a man sustained by artificial life support, clinging to his mortal existence just long enough to find the answers he seeks no matter the cost. His only relationship with his daughter is a business one, as they are joined via his corporation which she works for as an executive. How can man connect with his Creator/Father if he can't even connect with his own human family?
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Man's hubris spites itself as we get to meet our creators, only to realize we are merely leftover cells in a Petri dish to them. Yes, as it turns out, we are made in their image. Scott inverts the man-meets-God scene from his BLADERUNNER here- this time with man meeting his engineer. The replicant "Dave," a facsimile made in our image, is the first to approach and is decapitated (only he survives and later helps complete the mission). There is a wonderful closing shot as a spacecraft exits the atmosphere of the planet to search for the origin of the "Engineers." Man's quest for answers continues on, the ship's after-burners slicing across the sky reminiscent of Nimrod's arrow in the book of Genesis, Icarus' doomed flight near the sun, or (of course) Prometheus flying in the face of Zeus. The film leaves off at the birth of the alien xenomorph creature from the other ALIEN films, thus tying this in as a prequel.
Compelling as is, but oh what a film this could have been...
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INSIDIOUS (2010) (RECOMMENDED)
Dir: James Wan (SAW, DEAD SILENCE)
Can't believe I'm gonna endorse something from James Wan, but it actually wasn't half bad. Not much in the way of subtext or anything beyond its plot, but the film definitely has some scares and some heavy moments. The last act features a nice "descent to the underworld" leap of faith sequence that somehow reminds one a bit of elements from JACOB'S LADDER.
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THE PACT (2012) (RECOMMENDED)
Dir: Nicholas McCarthy (THE PACT [short film], CHINESE BOX)
Themes of communication take us on an "homage to 90's horror" mystery plot, ultimately arriving at some classic and timeless horror themes. Could it be that our homes- the places where we seek refuge from the world- are the birthplace of our monsters and the dwelling place of evils we don't even know enough about to fear? The very human traits we hold most dear (family, love, loyalty) are the exact tools that also can build and enable monsters.
Our heroine Annie (Caity Lotz) is just punky enough with her leather jacket and motorcycle to maybe see through the thin veneer of the world- but not without external help. A crusty cop (Casper Van Dien) tries to establish himself, not as an authority figure, but as someone our protagonist can reach out to. Just as we think there may be a helpful human connection- the cop exits the equation. This is not the universe where the law can get to the bottom of things- but it just might be the universe we call home. Internet anomalies, blurred apparitions in old photographs and a savant-like blind girl with ESP (Haley Hudson) confirm the existence of a ghost in the house. What is the haunting spirit trying to communicate? It takes forces from beyond the real world to intervene and point Annie in the right direction- dragging her kicking and screaming even- towards realities directly in her world. Some secrets are too deep for clues. It's scary enough to realize monsters exist, but realizing that we can't see them because we have chosen not to is even more troubling.
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The climax of the story is appropriately anti-climactic in the sense that the evil villain is simply a man. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story- that after all of Annie's searching and her encounter with the beyond- that, the center of the mystery comes down to a human villain. The scariest monsters are ourselves, and the sobering fact is that this reality is part of our human condition- not beyond it. Actor Mark Sager does a wonderful physical performance (without any dialogue) to create a portrait of a tortured and deranged man disconnected from humanity, a monster living only inches away from the everyday world- watching, calculating, preying on the outside- but staying apart from it. Annie breaks into his realm and discovers the truth of the mystery- and in so doing, must confront the beast.
The directing style has influences of John Carpenter (HALLOWEEN, THE THING) and Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA, OPERA, TENEBRE) in its sophisticated physical stylings. Thematically I felt the presence of Roman Polanski (THE TENANT, ROSEMARY'S BABY) and David Lynch (BLUE VELVET, LOST HIGHWAY) and, of course, Alfred Hitchcock (PSYCHO, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN.) THE PACT shares a central dynamic with many of these films- the idea of a terrible dark secret and of alternate worlds within our own- and that the comfortable, sensible world we live in is only a thin veil for deeper, darker realities.
A terrific cast, score and a smart and clever script make this mystery journey a great horror tale full of subtext and lots of scares. A must see!
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"If these walls could talk..."
Searching for distant secrets, that might not be so distant in Nicholas McCarthy's THE PACT.
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THE LAST EXORCISM (2010)
Dir: Daniel Stamm (A NECESSARY DEATH)
In a word: "ARGH!" This was going to be my pick of the year- almost. A perfect mini masterpiece on the issue of faith verses skepticism is played nearly flawless for three full acts. Then the end happened. Literally, in the last five minutes of what was a really mature and insightful story, the filmmakers tack on a silly ending twist that throws the entire project into the toilet. So stupid and disappointing was this that I sat there with the remote in my hand, sort of in shock, as the final credits scrolled away.
I guess I could recommend this movie, but only under the condition that you stop watching before the tacked on ending.
Patrick Fabian does a great performance as "Cotton Marcus," an evangelical preacher who performs fake exorcisms for his credulous parishioners. He justifies this by understanding that these folks are healing the problems of their psyches within the language of mind they understand. So tired of his own fakery is he that he retires and even agrees to take part in a documentary revealing all his tricks. For the sake of the project, he agrees to one last exorcism for a "possessed" young Christian girl in the rural South.
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Things progress as expected, and we get to witness how Cotton manipulates his audience like a good magician. Some wrinkles appear, however, and we start to wonder if maybe something more earthly is going on with the young girl. The suspicion is that some abuse of physical and/or sexual nature on the part of her family, particularly her father, might be the cause of the girl's crisis. The plot now switches to the ethical struggle of how to properly reveal this assumption to authorities, without further putting the girl at risk. Finally, it is revealed that the hypothesis is wrong; the troubled teen has been putting on a well-conceived and particularly convincing performance that has everyone fooled. Much is learned, and the process of the journey elaborates volumes on the nature of religion, faith, and willingness to believe.
Then the stupid ending twist occurs and wrecks it all.
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DEVIL (2010)
Dir: John Erick Dowdle (THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES, QUARANTINE)
With its silly premise, I expected a misfire here but was pleasantly surprised. Much in the vein of Hitchcock, this film plays on the "group of characters trapped in a small space" angle for a meditation on the nature of evil.
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THE THING (2011)
Dir: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
I didn't race out to see this, since I'm a huge fan of John Carpenter's 1981 masterpiece. I knew before seeing this that it was an un-necessary remake (sequel, prequel, whatever), and I was right. What did lure me in, however, was my curiosity at how the special effects would play out now that we have CGI technology. Carpenter's classic used all "practical" gore effects in its pre-CGI day and has been regarded as one of the greatest achievements of such. This film is far less groundbreaking, but it has a few interesting technical moments nonetheless.
There is a scene were the alien is 'taking over' a character and is discovered half way through the process. A chase ensues with the alien only half "morphed" and the visual result is amazingly ghoulish. I thought that the visceral nature of this scene, which only could have been achieved with CGI, really helped elaborate the "assimilation" theme of THE THING. We see people as they are normally, and we see them as imitations; but we rarely see what the "taking over" process looks like. This makes it almost hard to believe, and yet, we know it happens. By actually catching the alien in the act and seeing the horrifying reality of how it overtakes its victims, one can no longer deny the awful reality as it is driven home. This in-your-face visual treatment was actually the best sub-textural element in the film for me.
Beyond the effects moments, there are some basic and unconvincing statements on scientific hubris and that's about all. The filmmakers were mercifully careful to stay within the reality of Carpenter's version, even borrowing his music at the end and leaving off at the opening of the 1981 version. All told, this 2011 film was an unnecessary entry that did not add anything important to the legacy of THE THING.
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PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010) Dir: Tod Williams (THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR, THE ADVENTURES OF SEBASTIAN COLE)
I liked the first film (see review), and this was a prequel that reveals more about the origins of the first story in a refreshingly clever fashion. Turns out, a nasty deal from the in-laws transferred a demonic curse onto the cast of the first movie. It seems evil curses can be transferred from one relative to another- so mind your family business! The video-vérité shocks and scares are on the same level as the first film, and the cast returns as well. Didn't hate it or anything but, you know- whatever...
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BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (2011)
Dir: Jonathan Liebesman (DARKNESS FALLS, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING)
Guilty pleasure fun because:
(1) special effects (2) alien invasion! and (3) watching Los Angeles (my city) get destroyed.
Aaron Eckhart stars in this homage to all things "military honor and duty." The film plays out, not so unconvincingly, as a sort of BLACK HAWK DOWN with aliens. The sci-fi element is simply a non-partisan device to meditate on the nature of soldiers. There are plenty of gum ball buddy-drama yuks, but there are sobering moments as well. It's a thin shell of a story for a simple action flick, but it's fun with a sixer and some nachos.
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PREDATORS (2010)
Dir: Nimród Antal (VACANCY, ARMORED)
The third installment in the ALIEN VS. PREDATOR franchise. So awesome I don't really remember much of it. Kind of a Twilight Zone episode where all these strangers wake up in the same place and have to figure out why they are there (CUBE). Ok drive-in flick I guess. Rent it with BATTLE LOS ANGELES. Adrien Brody, Lawrence Fishburne and Topher Grace are all solid.
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RESIDENT EVIL: AFTER LIFE (2010)
Dir: Paul W.S. Anderson (RESIDENT EVIL, EVENT HORIZON, SOLDIER, ALIEN VS PREDATOR)
Too worthless and insulting to review.
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PIRANHA 3-D (2010) Dir: Alexandre Aja (HIGH TENSION, THE HILLS HAVE EYES(2006), MIRRORS)
One of the goriest and most in-your-face violent films I've seen in years. More of a remake of PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING than the original PIRANHA. Snarky tongue-in-cheek from start to end but quite sadistic in nature. Not the wink-at-the-camera fun of TREMORS or BLACK SHEEP (see review) that I had hoped for. If getting to see vacuous co-eds at mindless raves being mutilated is your thing, this is for you!
The story sets us up to really dislike the victims, and then forces us to watch in tremendous detail as they are eviscerated. If the film was trying to comment on the hypocrisy of our own voyeuristic bloodlust and then punish us for it- well, I guess it succeeds. Personally, I didn't need to be taught any lessons here. Elizabeth Shue stars, and Richard Dreyfuss and Christopher Lloyd make cameo appearances. Do not watch while eating! The co-ed carnage continues in a sequel: PIRANHA 3DD ("Double-D") which was released this year.
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RE-VISITING SOME OLDIES:
"It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!"
The post-Watergate "fear of government" genre and the post JAWS "giant animals attack"' genres mix in a festival of made-for-TV quality grind house clichés that assaulted my childhood. These entries rely heavily on the fact that you already understand the morality of the other films in the genre already; therefore, they don't spend much time establishing any themselves. Although these films all cash in on the success of Steven Spielberg's masterful JAWS (1975), they owe most of their thematic substance to Ishirô Honda's 1954 film GOJIRA (GODZILLA). It is man's hubris and scientific meddling that create the monsters, but it is only those same elements that can defeat them. Do two wrongs make a right? In the end, Pandora's Box is left wide open, and all we can do is prepare for a lifetime of micro-managing chaos...
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PIRANHA (1978)
Dir: Joe Dante (THE HOWLING, GREMLINS, EXPLORERS, INNERSPACE)
Screenplay by John Sayles. Brad Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy and Barbara Steele star. Pushy, sure-of-herself female city reporter enlists help of local, hard-drinking-with-a-troubled-past woodsman to investigate missing hikers. An old military facility hides never used bio-weapons in the form of killer fish developed for the Vietnam War. An obsessive and guilt-ridden old scientist keeps the fish contained, but when our meddling protagonists unwittingly let them out, all hell breaks loose. Traveling downriver on a hand-made raft (!?!?), the three race to save a kids camp before the fish arrive. Low-budget shenanigans ensue as our characters learn lessons and are redeemed and pay for their sins, etc, etc.
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PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING (1981)
Dir: James Cameron (TERMINATOR, ALIENS, THE ABYSS, TITANIC, AVATAR)
Worth it just to see JAMES CAMERON's name in the opening credits of this low-budget Italian-made stinker. With his token underwater shipwreck footage (hello THE ABYSS and TITANIC) the story picks up after the first film, where a sunken naval boat harbors remaining specimens of the evil genetically-altered super-fish. The hungry monsters get loose of course and it all takes place at a classy resort beachfront at the height of tourist season. This time, the fish can fly (!!!), so there's even more in the way of cheesy gore effects. Everything is dumb and then the film ends.
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ALLIGATOR (1980)
Dir: Lewis Teague (CUJO, CAT'S EYE, THE JEWEL OF THE NILE)
Screenplay also by John Sayles. This film is every bit the "take 2" of PIRANHA. The story is almost exactly the same, only better fleshed out and with better characters. Robert Forster stars as David, the (shock/surprise) hard-drinking cop with a troubled past; Robin Riker plays the young female scientist representing the ecological front. The always creepy Sidney Lassik and Henry Silva show up in bit parts. Science only wants money, the press only wants headlines, all while perverted nature grows beneath our feet and comes to prey on us in the night. In an early scene establishing how cool our hero is under pressure, David takes down a schizophrenic character who threatens to blow himself up with a homemade bomb at police headquarters. Our modern society creates disconnection and toxicity. Later, David uses the schizo's bomb to blow up the alligator- hilarious!
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GRIZZLY (1976)
Dir: William Girdler (ASYLUM OF SATAN, THREE ON A MEAT HOOK, SHEBA BABY, DAY OF THE ANIMALS)
Saw this one several times on TV when I was 9 or 10 years old, living in the mountains surrounded by dense forest. Also, I was in Cub Scouts doing a lot of campouts and stuff and people were talking about this movie, having seen it in theaters. One thing I remember about the film was the way in which you rarely saw the actual bear, and how this made it even scarier. It is interesting, seeing the film all these years later as an adult and recognizing the low-budget silliness, yet having to admit that as a youngster, it was really provocative stuff.
The film is really a movie-of-the-week in scope and the characters are sort of thrown together quickly. Kelly (Christopher George) is a hard-drinking mountaineer with a troubled past; Allison (Joan McCall) is a nosy journalist/photographer who adds absolutely nothing to the story. There is one interesting character in Arthur (Richard Jaeckel), who lives in the wild, has "become one with the forest", and wants to capture the bear, but he is ultimately eaten by it. Arthur is a hybrid of the Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw) characters in JAWS. Ranger Kelly, of course, has the obligatory conflict with the obligatory bureaucratic Park Manager (played by the same actor who portrayed the mayor in JAWS).
There is no clear message in GRIZZLY, other than playing off the genre in general about how man has encroached on nature, and the crisis is of our making, etc. The sympathetic characters are all running from inner demons and seem not to fit in the modern world. A Vietnam vet chopper pilot aids Kelly in tracking down the bear. He discusses his guilt for all the killing he did in wartime shortly before he is taken by the bear. Kelly uses the pilot's bazooka (which just happens to be kicking around in the chopper) to destroy the bear. As is usual in the genre, some evil and un-natural technology is needed to destroy the monster. In the end, everyone just sort of feels bad, even for the bear.
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DAY OF THE ANIMALS (1977) Dir: William Girdler (GRIZZLY)
Clearly GRIZZLY was director William Girdler's warm-up film for this feature, which was, frankly, a lot better. Christopher George again stars as the mountain ranger dude with smarts in a world of hapless fools.
I had heard of this movie as a kid but never saw it, save for the very end once on TV. I found I really liked this one; it has a very particular charm to it. As in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, man-made problems in Eath's atmosphere (this time it's the ozone layer) cause a brief interruption in the natural order of things, and mountain animals go on the attack! The crisis is short-lived, and the episode serves as a warning to mankind about disrupting the balance of nature. Many of the characters are tourists who take a helicopter up into the mountains to camp and are ill-suited to withstand the wild when cut-off from civilization. Leslie Nielson plays a pompous aristocrat who insists his bravado is enough to counter the forces of nature. This hubris turns him into the same kind of raging beast as the warped animals. Man corrupts everything, including himself.
The end features the military in HazMat suits quarantining the mountain town, not unlike the end of the more recent THE MIST (see review). There is a nice feel in DAY OF THE ANIMALS, I think especially because of the sweeping mountain-scape vistas of the location shooting. I really got a sense of the natural beauty of the outdoors, which helps make the moral themes of the story more effective. Musical score by Lalo Schifrin.
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