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Snow White and the Huntsman

Jun11

Cast: Kristen Stewart (Actor), Charlize Theron (Actor), Rupert Sanders (Director)

Genre: Fantasy

Watched: June 6, 2012

Summary: Surprisingly excellent (9/10)

I have to admit that the trailer for this film had me cautiously excited. It exhibits a certain style of fantasy storytelling that appeared cool and unique. Serious, yet referential to the source material. Visually original, but not silly. Still, I was worried. The bit about “from the producer of Alice in Wonderland” did nothing to reassure. That movie was so wretched I turned it off during the mind numbing final battle.

Oh, and despite my distaste for Twilight (I cover all four films and novels in detail) I’m actually a non-so-closeted Kristen Stewart fan. In fact, she’s the only thing that makes the sparkly vampires and talking wolves bearable. Plus, her work in the excellent and underrated Adventureland is top notch.

Snow White isn’t a perfect film, but it is a damn good one with a lot going for it. While the movie is a special effects showcase, the writing is fundamentally story and character driven. It has one of those flashback beginnings like the far inferior Dark Shadows (2012). This part of the film probably could have been cut and replaced with a few quick flashbacks, but once we’re into the present day it’s highly engaging.

The weird mythology and power of the wicked queen is complex and well developed. Visually she’s very effective even if Charlize Theron does deliver some of the cheesiest lines in the film. She looks great but her dialog is hit or miss. Some are great like the “mirror mirror” conversations. Her character is megalomaniacal to the extreme and lends toward overacting.

K. Stew employs her trademark naive and self-depreciating boldness. It works for me as it always does. Hemsworth is big, confident, and evocative of young Sean Bean in his comfortable portrayal of the Huntsman. The Queen’s brother is creepy. The dwarves surprisingly effective (who doesn’t love Ian McShane?).

This film could have easily gone bad in a number of ways. It could have been an incomprehensible and undeveloped special effects fest. We could have had a 45 minute all-CGI all-boring final battle. We don’t. We have a final battle, but it centers around Snow White and the Queen and the mutual nemesis factor. The film takes itself very seriously, yet is full of totally weird mythology. It could have descended into total camp or the incomprehensible. It doesn’t. Snow White strikes a balance between character, action, mythology and the like.

On an effects note, there is some really stunning work here. For all the over-the-top graphics, some of it is very understated. For example, the eight (soon seven) dwarves all have the faces of well known actors like Ian McShane and Bob Hoskins. I don’t know if they filmed real little people and then grafted on filmed faces or formed incredibly realistic computer models of each actor to composite in, but it looks great. Unfortunately, this does have the effect of putting short but talented actors (like the amazing Peter Dinklage) out of a job. Some of the made up sets like the fairy enchanted forest also have a fey quality, somewhat reminiscent of Pan’s Labyrinth or Hellboy II, that frankly took my breath away. Yeah, I’m a Dark Crystal kind of guy, but it’s good stuff.

Overall, it’s nice to have more well done serious fantasy. Bravo.

For more Film reviews, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Movies

Tagged as: Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Fantasy, Ian McShane, Kristen Stewart, Movie Review, Movies, Queen, Snow White, Snow White and the Huntsman

Stake Land – Vampire Zombie Scramble

Feb27

Title: Stake Land

Director/Stars: Connor Paolo (Actor), Nick Damici (Actor), Jim Mickle (Director)

Genre: Zombie Thriller

Watched: February 22, 2012

Summary: Impressive addition to the genre

Steak Land is a very ambitious film. On a diminutive budget, it attempts to paint a fairly complete vision of a post-apocalyptic America — and is successful enough to be impressive. There is nothing original in the set up. Some kind of virus has devastated the world turning much of the population into vampires/zombie hybrids. Those that didn’t suffer this worse-than-death fate had their necks torn out or their brains eaten. Our heroes are a teenage boy and a kick ass monster hunter known only as Mr. They travel across America seeking a monster free zone picking up various strays along the way. Meanwhile, the zombie-like “vamps” pop out of nowhere on a continuous basis. And even worse there are homicidal religious maniacs deal with.

None of these themes are new. And the film feels a bit of the mashup of The Road, the Book of Eli, I am legend, Zombieland, and 28 days later. It’s on the darker side, rarely comic, and closest to The Road. But without the completely unrelenting sense of dread and hopelessness of that film. Despite costing a fraction of the above, Steak Land manages to feel pretty authentic. And it’s ultimately more successful and watchable than The Road or the Book of Eli. the director spends time his characters, and in particular on post-apocalyptic America as well. By frequently lingering on the devastation, and on the multitude of corpses, he fairly effectively paints the bleak landscape. There some effort here to imagine different approaches to survival. Not only complete sense, but I give him an A for effort. The monsters a fairly interesting, combining the mindless qualities of zombies with some of the powers and weaknesses of vampires.

The same is true with the characterization. The writer-director wants to make these fleshed out characters. And some extent he succeeds. There are occasionally cheesy moments, but they are certainly forgivable given the budget. His religious nut job villain is quite enjoyable — although when he inevitably vamps out a little gratuitous. And the concluding events felt a little rushed, robbing them of proper emotional depth. Still, the film is a surprisingly impressive addition to the genre.

Interestingly, the film has many superficial similarities to Naughty Dog’s upcoming game The Last of Us.

For more Film reviews, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Movies

Tagged as: Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, Book of Eli, Connor Paolo, Jim Mickle, Movie, Movies, Naughty Dog, Nick Damici, reviews, Road, Stake Land, The Book of Eli, Ti West, Vampire, vampires, zombie, Zombieland, zombies

Back to the Future Part II

Apr10

Title: Back to the Future Part 2

Director/Stars: Michael J. Fox (Actor), Christopher Lloyd (Actor), Robert Zemeckis (Director)

Genre: Time Travel Comedy

Year: 1989

Watched: March 30, 2011

Summary: Lots of time travel, and fun!

Following up on such a gem of a movie as 1985’s Back to the Future (my review here) must have been a daunting task. And it occasioned part II and part III being filmed together, and released only 6 months apart. As far as I know this was the first time this kind of joint production was ever done.

In any case, I always liked part II, particularly since it has the most time travel of the three, and certainly the most complex examination of the basic principle of time manipulation. It starts with a literal repeat of the last 3 minutes of BTTF (although they must have reshot some of it because they inexplicably replace Claudia Wells with Elisabeth Shue as the girlfriend — not that this lame duck role matters. They then pop into 2015, where Hilldale Ca is both the same and very different. The technological inovations proposed are pretty amusing, and most of them still haven’t happened in 2011. Again, where’s my hoverboard? But they missed a few things — like the cel phone, or the death of the fax machine.

Anyway, while avoiding paradox, and just having run with the same cast of actors playing different ages, characters, (and genders), Biff manages to steal the time machine, bring it back to 1955, and give himself a sports almanac. Then he inexplicably brings the DeLorean back to the good guys. Go figure! When they travel back to 1985 they find Biff’s nefarious influence has trashed the entire town and made a blade runner-esque hell of the place. There are some good moments here again paralleling the now standard running jokes with each character. Marty waking up to versions of his mother. The principal as bad ass with an axe to grind, etc.

Once they figure out how all this mess got rolling, back to 1955 they go to sort it out. This involves a parallel track recreation of the first movie’s main events without disturbing these. This is great fun, revisiting the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance from a different perspective. As far as I know, this is the benchmark scene for a two-pass time travel-type scenario. The car chase at the end however, is a bit tedious. And why, may we ask, is it possible for Marty to call doc on a walkie-talkie from the back of Biff’s convertible, while Biff is about 2 feet away in the front seat? I don’t know about you, but when I’m alone in a car and someone has a conversation in the back seat, I generally notice.

The film ends with an awesome setup for the third part. I love the Western Union bit. But watching all three back to back as I did, I could have lived without ALL THREE movies replaying the footage of the Doc at the clock-tower.

These problems aside the movie is great fun. Other reviewers seem to find the time travel antics byzantine in this outing, but this is exactly what I loved about this film. At least it dares to create an alternate present, and then undo it. True there are a few moments where the cast has to answer audience questions in near straight exposition. For example, when Marty and Doc head from messed-up 1985 to 1955, but leave Jennifer (the useless Elisabeth Shue) behind, Marty has to ask why, and Doc launches into a whole explanation about how the time continuum will fix itself around them.

Again the technical transfer on the new blu-ray versions is awesome. This was always a slick film, with the future scenes in particular filled with fun effects. It holds up perfectly well. There is the occasional shot where the rotoscoping is obvious (compositing has gotten a lot better in the 22 years, Cliffhanger being, I think, the first film to use the new digital compositing). But these minor issues don’t date the film at all. Now if only they wrote a better part III.

Check out the Back to the Future Part I review here.

Or, coming soon, a review of part III.

For more 80s films, About Last Night, Better Off Dead, or The Sure Thing.

By: agavin
Comments (3)

Posted in: Movies

Tagged as: Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, Christopher Lloyd, Claudia Wells, Elisabeth Shue, Emmett Brown, Fiction, Film Review, Marty McFly, Michael J Fox, Movie Review, Movies, review, reviews, Robert Zemeckis, Time travel

Truly Deeply Sick and Twisted

Feb22

Title: Human Centipede

Director/Stars: Ashley C. Williams (Actor), Dieter Laser (Actor), Tom Six (Director)

Genre: Gross-out Horror

Watched: February 17, 2011

Summary: Repulsive premise coupled with startlingly matter-of-fact delivery.

Just so you don’t think I always review good films, here comes a doozy. My brother knows the guy who stars as the head of the titular Human Centipede in this film, and he brought it to my attention (although he hadn’t seen the film). We looked it up and the premise was so horrifically nasty, so out-and-out repulsive and dark, that I couldn’t help but watch the film.

Now, in the interest of protecting my dear and tender readers, I’m not going to actually tell you the premise. If you are so inclined, you may watch the trailer and decide for yourself. Be warned. Let’s just say it’s terrifying, gross, and of totally dubious possibility.

But having conceived this idea, the writer/director pursues it with gusto. This is actually not a badly made film, considering it’s genre and budget. But there is no attempt to craft a clever plot or characters. It charges headlong into the ramifications of the disturbing by use of straightforward Horror tropes and coincidence, and replies on sheer dread to deliver. The villain, a twisted German surgeon which a penchant for illegal and immoral procedures, is played to hammy perfection by Dieter Laser. His emotionless delivery as to the nature of his plan is as disturbing as it’s intended to be.

For all the film’s unabashed directness. It actually isn’t that graphic, although the ramifications of the premise are rather nasty. I’m also not sure I’ve seen another movie with so much moaning/pathetic-whimpering in it, I felt compelled to keep turning down the volume. And for all it’s true horror, the deadpan delivery lends it to the almost darkly comic. NOTE: On that note, Robert Ebert (my favorite film reviewer) has an an absolutely hilarious review of it here (WARNING, he reveals the premise). There are also some odd choices, like the fact that in the second half their is almost no English dialog as the Doctor often speaks in German, the “head” babbles in subtitled Japanese, and the two female leads can only moan.

And it isn’t the best paced film (particularly the first half), so was an excellent candidate for the Playstation 3‘s most appreciated 1.5x speed viewing feature. This not only speeds up the film smoothly, but does a pretty good job of time based correction on the audio so it doesn’t sound too funny. Many slightly dull films are eminently watchable in this format. For example, silent films from the early 20th century, with their 1-2 minute title cards. It rendered the Human Centipede in an even hour which was just about perfect.

In any case, if you are a fan of Horror, or the truly deeply sick and twisted, crawl on board.