Film Filter: Off So I was waiting diligently for this film to come out, and I even went so far as to watch the original (which I'm embarrassed to admit, I don't do often enough) before I went to the theater. Needless to say, after watching the trailer and hearing all the hype, I was pretty stoked to see this movie.
Pros- This film followed the plot of the original pretty closely, which I consider a good thing. There is definitely a difference between a re-make, a re-telling, and a sequel, and it's pretty clear that this is a solid re-make, with some dollops of ingenuity thrown in as well.
I can't really say a whole lot about the actors, as it doesn't really take a lot of strong ability to portray frightened adolescents, however I will say that they were very well cast for their roles. Each character had their own little niche that they fit into to make up the story, and some of them even had to act possessed and be psychotic, which I assume would be pretty hard on its own. Add into the equation that they must also go back and forth between said possessed state and their normal character state and then you get a decently challenging role.
This movie, based on previews, appears to be 90% gore. Surprisingly, despite the fact that there is almost a sufferable amount of blood, it is fairly evenly balanced with other scare tactics as well. The build up to all of the gory scenes was fantastic, comparable to some scenes in Sinister where you KNEW something was going to happen, but it scared you anyway. Those are pretty magic moments, right thurr. They also have a good, though slightly over the top, system of incorporating music into the film. Again, like most horror flicks, it strongly foreshadowed an event, but if that's something that bothered you immensely, than maybe scary movies aren't your thing and you should check out some rom coms.
One of the things this movie does well that separates itself from the pack is its ability to show the un-showable. Some movies go there, but the vast majority leave you with the individual parts to piece together the grotesque moment ahead, and let your imagination fill in the gaps. This film does not, it's pretty much all right there on the table for you to see. The jury's still out on if it made the film better, but the movie certainly gets points for being ballsy.
Holy intro. I watched a pretty unsettling preview (The Conjuring...pretty stoked to see that one!) and felt relieved when the movie actually started, since I knew the plot would work its way into the scary parts and not start with them. Wrong. It did a throwback to a much older time period, which did two things 1) set the movie up with some background info, and 2) be delightfully unpredictable for those of us expecting the beginning to mirror that of the original film. Genius!
Lastly, as I could probably go on, this movie refreshed my faith in re-makes, as there are some pitiful excuses for them out there. It did not derail itself form the original, but instead added very important background information, refreshed plot points to make them applicable to modern day while also furthering the story in a believable way, and filled in gaps in the story line. Sure, it was quite different in parts, but the story is pretty much the same thing with a more modern feel, which is how good remakes should be. That being said, there is a time, place, and reason for a remake, and not every horror movie made circa 1980 needs to have a makeover. There's a lot to be said for antiquated horror, and we also have to remember that, at the time, some of those movies were the best of the genre.
Cons- Other than slightly over-the-top musical excerpts, and some slight inconsistencies with the storyline, I really didn't have any cons.
Wrap up: If you're not interested in blood and gore, this movie is most definitely not for you. If you can stomach the gross parts (which is more than half the movie) then I highly recommend it.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
Film Filter: Off - The Raven
Film Filter: Off- I can remember watching a preview for this movie, and being intrigued. Much like The Woman in Black, this is a period horror flick that depicts a less chaotic time in regards to technology and resources. Unlike other "based on true events" films, this one almost necessitated some research, as it is about a historical, dark writer that nearly everyone is familiar with. For my own personal satisfaction, I needed to know the lines between fact and fiction, and if you have watched, or will watch this film, I would encourage you to do the same.
Pros- It's pretty near impossible to do a Poe story in modern times, but the time period the film takes place is definitely critical to the film's pace, and ultimately resolve. Those unhappy with the speed of the plot I think forget that we are witnessing a time period void of any modern technology. Every discovery and communication is thus slowed down to a believable degree to, in my opinion, enhance the films believed authenticity. Did it make it an edge of your seat thrill ride? No, but if that's what you're looking for you should have done a little research before you jumped into this movie.
The jury is still out for me on whether or not I am in love with John Cusack as Poe. I really do like Cusack as an actor, but there's something I can't put my finger on regarding his performance. Granted, I think he did as good a job as one could do with Poe, but I'm not sure the director found the best balance for the direction of Poe's character. I could be way off base, but he seemed a little quirky and antagonizing, but almost in a teasing manner. It could just be my perception, but I just viewed Poe a lot more serious than I think was portrayed in this film. Despite those notions, I really loved the pompous nature of Poe that was portrayed, along with his poetic and articulate line deliveries that made him look more intelligent than those he kept company with, which is why Cusack ultimately goes as a pro.
After having looked up a lot about Poe and his death, it made me appreciate the fine line this film tread in regards to fact v. fiction. It was pretty obvious when things were made up for cinematic reasons a lot of the time, but I really like the idea of taking a historical figure's untimely, and mysterious death, and creating a fictionalized account of what could have happened to yield the result. It's almost like writing a story with the ending first.
Cons- One of the big issues I had with this story was with the intermittent unbelievable moments. Unlike The Woman in Black, where we're dealing with supernatural beings out of our control, this movie is clearly dealing with supposed real life scenarios. Since the film does a very nice job of making 90% of what's going on feel realistic, the 10% of scenarios where it doesn't feel that way stand out. For example, the killer standing on the roof jumping down onto a police officer and slitting his throat as he pounces on him. I mean, his feet aren't even on the ground when he cuts him! It's just slightly fantastical, and I didn't really buy it. Or when the bricks are slightly different colored, which tells us the killer recently replaced old bricks with new ones when he hid the body inside. I didn't go to brick laying school, but I'm pretty sure that process would have taken a reeeaally long time, and the mortar wouldn't have dried and looked like the same mortar that the old bricks used.
Wrap up- I didn't think this movie was half bad, although there were a sprinkling of things I didn't enjoy or that I disagreed with. If you're into period thrillers or like dark historical horror movies, you would enjoy this. If you are a die hard Poe fan looking for 100% accuracy, this probably isn't for you.
Pros- It's pretty near impossible to do a Poe story in modern times, but the time period the film takes place is definitely critical to the film's pace, and ultimately resolve. Those unhappy with the speed of the plot I think forget that we are witnessing a time period void of any modern technology. Every discovery and communication is thus slowed down to a believable degree to, in my opinion, enhance the films believed authenticity. Did it make it an edge of your seat thrill ride? No, but if that's what you're looking for you should have done a little research before you jumped into this movie.
The jury is still out for me on whether or not I am in love with John Cusack as Poe. I really do like Cusack as an actor, but there's something I can't put my finger on regarding his performance. Granted, I think he did as good a job as one could do with Poe, but I'm not sure the director found the best balance for the direction of Poe's character. I could be way off base, but he seemed a little quirky and antagonizing, but almost in a teasing manner. It could just be my perception, but I just viewed Poe a lot more serious than I think was portrayed in this film. Despite those notions, I really loved the pompous nature of Poe that was portrayed, along with his poetic and articulate line deliveries that made him look more intelligent than those he kept company with, which is why Cusack ultimately goes as a pro.
After having looked up a lot about Poe and his death, it made me appreciate the fine line this film tread in regards to fact v. fiction. It was pretty obvious when things were made up for cinematic reasons a lot of the time, but I really like the idea of taking a historical figure's untimely, and mysterious death, and creating a fictionalized account of what could have happened to yield the result. It's almost like writing a story with the ending first.
Cons- One of the big issues I had with this story was with the intermittent unbelievable moments. Unlike The Woman in Black, where we're dealing with supernatural beings out of our control, this movie is clearly dealing with supposed real life scenarios. Since the film does a very nice job of making 90% of what's going on feel realistic, the 10% of scenarios where it doesn't feel that way stand out. For example, the killer standing on the roof jumping down onto a police officer and slitting his throat as he pounces on him. I mean, his feet aren't even on the ground when he cuts him! It's just slightly fantastical, and I didn't really buy it. Or when the bricks are slightly different colored, which tells us the killer recently replaced old bricks with new ones when he hid the body inside. I didn't go to brick laying school, but I'm pretty sure that process would have taken a reeeaally long time, and the mortar wouldn't have dried and looked like the same mortar that the old bricks used.
Wrap up- I didn't think this movie was half bad, although there were a sprinkling of things I didn't enjoy or that I disagreed with. If you're into period thrillers or like dark historical horror movies, you would enjoy this. If you are a die hard Poe fan looking for 100% accuracy, this probably isn't for you.
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