Film Filter: Off- The Last House on the Left

Film Filter Off- This film is a Wes Craven remake of a 1972 version, which I have not seen.  I watched the unrated version, and I would only recommend that to people who don't mind a very disturbing and graphic rape scene.  Ick.  In any case, the movie was actually very well done, and kept me guessing a lot of the time.

Pros- One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed about this movie was its ability to forward all of the information to the audience with no gaps, but in a well timed fashion.  The information wasn't thrown in your face all at once, nor did you have to wait too long for any particular piece of information to surface.  The solid pacing helped me get more into the film.  They also did a very nice job of making connections to things brought up and referenced earlier in the film, like Mari's swimming experience and her necklace from her brother.  This allowed some outside information to be revealed about the characters, but in a relevant way.
   Without giving too much of the movie away, I'd like to mention the tense moment in which the antagonists were unknowingly seeking help from the family of the people they had assaulted.  One of the best parts of this scenario, despite its pseudo-irony, is that once the family finds out who the people are, they play it cool instead of freaking out like most horror movies depict the characters doing.  This also creates much more realistic conflict between them and the assailants.
   Again, without revealing too much information, I would like to add that there is a great death involving a garbage disposal, AND a topless death scene as well.  Sweet.

Cons- The rape scene, first and foremost.  I won't say that it ruined the film, because in a purely story-telling fashion, it made it better by harnessing more disgusting, negative emotions toward the murderers, and more hopeful, positive emotions for the protagonists.  Having that emotional spectrum to work with allowed me to become more emotionally involved in the film which, let's be honest, doesn't happen much in horror films.  All that being said, it was not a pleasant scene to watch.
   The only other negative aspect of this film, which had to happen for the plot to further, was the idiot friend suggesting to meet a stranger in a hotel room to smoke pot.  The only reason it was irritating was because just about every character in the film was calm and rational, except for this dumb friend.  Again, necessary for the story-line, but it was one of the few stereotypical moments of the film.

Wrap up- This film was very well done.  I'm intrigued to see the original, but it's nice to see that a re-make of an older film did not crash and burn and is good on its own merit.

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Film Filter: Off- The Secret

Film Filter: Off- For starters, this movie isn't really the typical genre I would review.  It came up as a supernatural thriller and as an indie thriller, but be warned that it is neither frightening, nor terribly suspenseful.

Pros- This movie was not at all what I thought it would be like, which is a good thing.  When the story line depicts a man's wife inhabiting the body of his daughter, I immediately thought of the awkward sexual tension that would result.  Don't get me wrong, that happened at times, but in a tactful way and was not the focus of the film.
   I thought that the relationships between the characters in this film appeared genuine and realistic.  The dynamic between the husband and wife was both loving and sincere, which set a good tone for the story and gave the audience pieces of information to use later in the plot.  I also thought the daughter's role of the angst-ridden teenager was perfectly played, and elaborated upon as well.  Even though on the surface she's making poor decisions, the director does a good job of letting us figure out why those choices are made, and that she's actually not who she seems to be in a superficial sense.  The acting ability of the young actress to play an adult woman trapped in a teenage girl's body was very believable, and I thought she did a phenomenal job playing both roles.
   It was also interesting to see the interactions between the three main characters, and to see how all three of them are trapped in some fashion- one physically, one mentally, and one emotionally.

Cons- Other than not being scary, which is not an exclusively negative attribute, this film didn't have many cons.  Due to its unique nature, it was highly unpredictable.  This forced me to constantly be vigilant as to what was going on, so I wouldn't miss a critical moment.  Each experience that Hannah went through as her daughter lent itself to a new lesson to learn about her life, so the plot didn't drag at all.

Wrap up- If you're into indie/supernatural thrillers that aren't edge of your seat scary, this would be a good movie for you.  It was interesting, with good acting on all the leads' parts.

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