Surrogates (2009)

It has to be said that on the outside Surrogates has an interesting idea of the future. And for the most part it works, provided you don't dig any deeper than the surface. Based on the graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele, it follows FBI Agents Greer (Bruce Willis) and Peters (Rhada Mitchell) as they investigate what may be the first homicide in countless years since the introduction of Surrogates.

A surrogate is basically a robot avatar that can appear however you want it to, for most major cities in the world they have become the norm, with people choosing to lead their entire lives through their surrogate. Those that don't, live in "Dread Zones", camps set up by and for humans only, these folks are led by The Prophet who appears to secretly be trying to destroy all of the Surrogates, and he has the help of a new weapon to do so.

The plot is a little involved, but the film wastes no time in getting to the action scenes and we learn that all might not be as it seems.

On the whole the film creates an interesting future world view with a unique visual style and if you are after a little science fiction action then it may well be worth your time. If you want something a little deeper though, then perhaps look for something else.

Norwegian Horror Fest

So, last night I sat down to watch 3 Norwegian horror films.....as you do.

Dead Snow
Nazi Zombies. There I said it. Dead Snow is a film with Nazi Zombies. Having heard that myself I had high hopes for it, but alas despite some original deaths and a few comical moments, Dead Snow is just another zombie film, kind of a Shaun of the Dead, only not as funny and Norwegian.

A group of friends set off into the snow covered mountainside (far from civilized society) for a fun weekend of skiing and whatever else it is you do out in the snow. On their first night a weird local shows up at their cabin, criticizes their coffee making ability, drinks their beer and relays the story of "them thar hills" and what happened during the war. Of course, everything he is telling them is true and before you know it all hilarity ensues.

The film is frenetic in its editing, which I found quite distracting. The story is not made abundantly clear until almost three quarters through, where the penny (quite literally) drops.
I also take issue with horror films that make references to other horror films and how silly they are and then falls into exactly the same pitfalls it was previously criticizing, only without the sense that the irony is supposed to be comedy.

Lets face it though, Dead Snow has a pretty decent premise and even if the acting is a little shoddy and the editing, pacing and story are all fairly out there it is still a great way to kill 90 minutes and although you may come away from the film feeling a little cheated there are enough memorable moments to overlook the films more obvious flaws.

Cold Prey
A group of friends set off into the snow covered mountainside (far from civilized society) for a fun weekend of skiing and whatever else it is you do out in the snow. (deja vu) That is of course, until one of your party breaks his leg miles from anywhere. The group stumble upon an abandoned ski resort and decide to spend the night, over the course of which one of their party is brutally slain. It turns out that Skiiers and snowboarders have gone missing in these parts for years and it may not have been as a result of avalanches.

Cold Prey is very much your typical horror film. It has quick camera cuts, loud noises and plenty of red herrings to try and keep the tension up, however the one thing it does have is a lack of exposition. You are never given a true motive for what the killer wants, he simply kills you and dumps your body down a crevasse. End of story.

The film is quite beautifully shot and tightly edited and has a wholly immersive soundtrack, however it has quite a number of obvious and almost laughable moments of stupidity on the characters part, these detract from the story and overall leave you with a sense that the film has offered nothing new to the genre.

Spoiler Alert - If you have not seen the first film, I suggest not reading the review below.

Cold Prey II (Ressurection)
In a move reminiscent of Halloween II (the original, not the god awful Rob Zombie remake), Cold Prey II takes place immediately after the first film. Our lone surviving heroine is found and taken to hospital where she relays her fantastical tale of murder and survival to a group of unsure police officers.

With the help of the local ski patrol, they set off to confirm her story by locating the crevasse she claims her friends where dumped in. Shortly thereafter they believe her story. They retrieve her friends and the killers bodies and bring them back to the hospital, which we have learnt will be shutting down and is therefore running on a skeleton crew and has only 2 other patients.

Of course, like any good horror franchise our killer is only pretending to be dead (or at least, according to the good doctors...never died and was just in a form of hibernation thanks to the cold) Once he is back on his feet all hell breaks loose and once again our heroine must fight for he life.

The interesting thing here, is that I enjoyed the second film more than the first. It had greater tension and less "silly"plot points (although it still has all the usual cliches one could ask for). It is nicely shot with some great use of the widescreen format. The soundtrack is just as impressive as the first and the overall pacing is much nicer and fluent.

There are a few loose ends lost in the mix (we never return to the crevasse after the gruesome discovery), but on the whole this is one of the few examples I know in the horror genre, where the second film is equal to if not better than the original!

Slayer Fest 09

You may have noticed the lack of posts....well, I haven't really been watching many movies of late. I did go and see Up, and I have seen Public Enemies, but neither inspired me to write a review...

So what have I been doing you may ask? Well, I am currently up to disc 2 of season 4 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which also means that I am playing the old switcheroo with Angel Season 1 to keep things in the correct time line....

This is only my second viewing of both series and I am enjoying it just as much as the first time.

I haven't really been inspired to write of late and it does pain me that the blog has just been left to fend for itself....I must try harder...

District 9 (2009)

Every once in awhile a movie comes from left field to deliver an experience rather than an entertainment. District 9 is one such film. Shot primarily in documentary style, complete with sea sickening jerky camera motion for almost its entire duration. What we are presented with though, is a tight, tense and graphic political commentary on immigration, capitalism and racism, hidden beneath the Vail of a science fiction movie.

In the not too distant future an alien mothership parks itself over Johannesburg, its contents are revealed as a race of aliens that appear to be a cross between a shellfish and a cockroach (and bear a remarkable similarity to the alien from Men in Black). They are starving to death and in need of assistance, something which is granted to them in the short term, by way of an immigration camp known as District 9. The film picks up a number of years after their arrival when it is decided that the "prawns" should be moved a further 200km away to another camp.

During this attempted eviction the leader of the group assigned to this immense task (there are over 1.5 million aliens) , comes into contact with an alien substance that sets off a remodeling of his DNA. Of course this makes him a most lucrative asset to his employers as all alien technology is genetically based and by having a human hybrid, the technology may well be within their reach.

The film makes no assumptions about what it portrays, it simply lays it all out in front of you and allows you to witness everything for yourself. This makes a refreshing change from most science fiction films that are very set in their ways. It is also violent, some may say needlessly so, but I think far worse happens in real life, and very much so in stories about apartheid (of which in all honesty this is one), but sadly towards the end of the film the violence almost appears to be used as comic relief which distracts from its initial shock and impact.

My only real criticism though is for the cinematography. Whilst I appreciate that hand held camera operation adds to the realism and "you're there" feel, I think the film could have benefited greatly from at least a few locked off shots that were not relevant to its documentary styling. (I know at least 1 patron at my screening left due to illness)

District 9 is certainly a refreshing change and a welcome addition to the ranks of great science fiction film making and I hope that it will be seen by a wide and just as appreciative audience!

Coraline (2009)

Coraline is a modern day fairytale, but not your backyard Disney variety. Instead we are treated to a dark and grim world in which the heroine is not a nice innocent little girl, but an unpleasant outspoken tween with an attitude. A refreshing change if you ask me.

Coraline's world is anything but perfect. Her parents are busy with their own lives and largely ignore her efforts for attention. As a result of a recent move she has no friends, although she makes no attempt to gain any either. One evening she finds a small hidden door in the living room. Upon opening it she finds herself in an alternate version of her life; a mirrored opposite if you will. At first glance this world appears more suitable to Coraline, her Mother and Father adore her, her new stalker friend can no longer speak and the crazy neighbors seem more inviting, but on closer inspection things might not be all they seem. The story shares more than a few similarities to Alice in Wonderland and the usual array of morals and values are also included.

The film looks incredible, it is safe to say that it creates a visual style all of its own. The stop motion gives a level of realism and dimension not seen in current CGI fare. The use of 3D was not as distracting as I thought it would be, though I still think 3D has a lot of work to do if it intends to be mainstream.

R.I.P John Hughes

A man who defined a generation and made countless people laugh.

Mr. Hughes I salute you and wish you all the best, wherever you may be now!

Trailer Alert - The Lovely Bones

I was so pissed off when Peter Jackson swooped in and grabbed the rights to this book away from Director Lynne Ramsay. This trailer only helps fuel that fire somewhat...... it has quite a number of spoilers if the film is following the book closely. The cast looks strong, but I really have my reservations about this. The film was in far better hands with Ramsay, who was a perfect choice to direct a film based on a book as melodic and sad as this one. Peter Jackson has just thrown a wad of cash at it and made it a CGI fest with a "name" cast. But I guess I will have to see the film before I can pass a true judgment on it.

From the images in the trailer the film visually looks like a rip off of What Dreams May Come....with both the "heaven and earth reality".

Studio Ghibli Week (Month)

With the release of Ponyo immanent in the U.S (and my viewing of the movie a few weeks back, thanks to an English friendly Japanese release) I decided to get back on the Studio Ghibli bandwagon. It helped that my girlfriend had not seen many of the films as it is always nice to introduce people to movies you like and see their reactions.

So, the list of viewing thus far....

We started with Spirited Away. The film most audiences have likely seen and winner of the best animated feature Oscar in 2003. It follows Chihiro as she and her family get lost in the spirit world after taking a wrong turn. It is a fantastically animated spectacle with a moving story and brilliant characterization.

Then we watched Howl's Moving Castle. This was only my second viewing of Howl's Moving Castle and the first with the original Japanese dialog. I must admit I enjoyed it a lot more this second time, not sure what it was that made it any better, but I think I understood a bit more of what was happening.

It was decided that we would then start going into the back catalog, so we started with Laputa: Castle in the Sky. I really enjoyed the film for this my third viewing, I still feel that it is a great story with some fantastic animation and a nice message that isn't too political or in your face. I am not sure that "Disney of the East" really reflects Mayazaki's films, but I guess it makes sense as far as the man himself goes, his attention to detail is clearly evident in films like this and Nausicaa.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, the first so-called-Studio Ghibli film (although the studio was actually formed after its creation) and another great tale with awesome animation. This film has quite the underlying moral story too which is not preachy, but certainly gets its message across. Again we are presented with a style of animation that was unseen until this film. It is also an introduction to the Ghibli heroines. Miyazaki is a feminist and it clearly shows in all of his films with his use of strong female lead characters and even strong female incidentals...which brings us to...

Porco Rosso is one of those films that has issues never resolved or explained, but that are imperative to the story. The main character is a pig (or at least his outward appearance.) We learn that this is because of a curse...though we never learn the specific how or why. Although the films main character is in fact male, there is a very strong female presence and the issue of "dont judge a book by its cover" is also used to great effect.

Pom Poko is quite possibly the weirdest Ghibli film (at least of the ones I have seen thus far), It is part comedy part drama and again has an environmental message to tell (a recurring theme in more than half of the Ghibli films) I wasn't blown away by the animation as much as I have been by the others, but this was my first viewing so maybe I was more focused on the story than the art.

Whisper of the Heart is a personal favourite of mine. Proof that animation can be heartfelt, moving and above all human. My only concern is what seems like a rushed ending, but otherwise the film is flawless. It has a melancholic pace that draws you slowly into the world of its characters who are full and rich. The dialog is also believable and realistic.

So Ghibli week turned into Ghibli fortnight and is now in its 3rd week.....next up I have The Cat Returns to watch and then onto some of the more serious Ghibli films as well as a couple of rareties including their "made for TV movie" Ocean Waves".

Stay tuned....