SINISTER

So I saw the movie 'Sinister'! Lah di da! Same old story basically as every time I see a horror film. It was good and scary at times but most of the juicy stuff had already been given away in the trailer. Dammit! Why do they always do this to me?
  Anyway, that's pretty much all I want to say about the film itself. BUT - I was pretty impressed with the sound design and the score. Obviously, like so many other scary films this would have been nothing without good sounds. And of course, to my astonishment, it was Christopher Young doing the score.
  I've become quite a fan of his lately. From creepy scores (Nightmare on Elm Street & The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) to some of the most beautiful scores I can remember (Copycat & Entrapment). Anyway, I have now listened to so many film score composers that I can almost always hear who did the score to the movie I'm watching. However, mr. Young continues to surprise me. Pull him up on IMDb and see the astonishing list of very different movies he has composed for. I find it amazing. He renews himself with every score and only in his beautifully composed, quiet piano pieces does he reveal himself from film to film. The rest of the music is a surprise every time. Below is his 'Greatest Hits' from YouTube. Listen for yourself. Though I disagree that these are his greatest hits it definitely shows the incredible variety in his works.

  And on that note, worth mentioning is definitely also Dane A. Davis, the main sound designer on the film, who has worked on 'Cabin In The Woods' and the 'Matrix' films. No wonder it's all so well done!

The Loved Ones

Oh it is so delightful to be scared in new ways! Especially when you, like me, have started to feel almost numb after all the horror films I've exposed myself to.
  'Mum And Dad' came highly recommended and I'd never heard of it before but I'm thankful I did.
  It's a short little independent thing and it's hard to say much about this film without giving away the plot. But pretty superb acting combined with a chilling story makes this one of the most chilling films I've ever seen and it holds some of the most disturbing scenes I've seen on film. Let's just say you'll remember Christmas in a whole new way after this film!
   Lena meets Birdie and her strangely quiet brother at Heathrow airport where they all work. By accident (??) Lena misses the bus home and has to spend the night with Birdie and her family.
  Well, from then on we go into a story where mum and dad, brilliantly played by Dido Miles and Perry Benson, are the bosses and you don't want to do anything to piss off daddy! In this household, family is everything!
  Written and directed by Steven Sheil, a relative newcomer who I'm sure most audiences, especially the American, haven't heard much from. But I think there will be lots of interesting projects spawned by his hand in the near future.
  About once per year I get excited about a horror film, its surprises and its refreshing approach to the genre. And this film is definitely the first one this year. There are others in the horizon I'm very excited about and I hope I'll have a record year in that department.
  Horror is such an interesting genre because there's so much of it and to get anywhere with a story you constantly have to stretch it to new places. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it redefines the whole genre.
  This film is sort of in between everything. It's not that it's completely original but it mixes elements in a clever way and puts a brilliant madness into an everyday situation and that creeps the pants off me.

Depressing! (The Sequel)

I was at the movies the other day and after watching the usual 35 minutes of previews before the actual film I realized that every single preview I had seen was either a sequel, a prequel, a new 3D version or a remake of a movie. Watching the cars explode, the expensive effects etc etc I was saddened, mostly as a filmmaker and storyteller but also just as a plain old human being, that it has come to this! Granted the previews I saw were all for mainstream American films so there's a lot more out there but it's so sad that this is what they have to do to entertain us. More of the same, just bigger, louder and more expensive.
  And it's clever too. I'm not above it myself! Naturally if I've enjoyed a film I am much more likely to watch the sequel, especially if it continues the story from the first film. Rarely am I happy with the result but I do fall for it often.
  Now there are different types of sequels of course. Some are obviously made to make more money, there's not much eye to the plot and it's more or less the same thing again (The Mummy) and then there are the ones that do tell a new story, explore deeper and expand the universe of characters you already know (X-Men).
  But as someone who desperately wants to tell new stories, original stories, things that haven't already been done I'm just so sad thinking about how many people out there like me there are, with great ideas, great scripts that never gets a chance because Hollywood wants more of the same and eagerly throws hundreds of millions of dollars after projects that are so preposterous you think it's a joke. At the same time it's virtually impossible for new writers and directors to even gather a few thousand dollars to make something new.
  Think of what we are missing?! And not only do we get sequels, prequels etc, but when one studio makes a certain kind of film, immediately another one will plan more or less the same story to compete with it. Best new example are the two 'Snow White' films that magically came out very close to each other.
  And try to list the super hero/villain movies that have come out in the past 5 years and the ones you already heard are planned for the next 5!! It is a very long list! Superheroes who had their last movie only a few years ago are already getting the reboot. And if that doesn't work we will pick some of them to be in the same movie or maybe even do the good old mash ups of 'so-and-so vs. so-and-so'. And if that one doesn't work, we will relaunch some film in 3D, make an extended version and send that one out there or simply just make one 'anniversary' edition after another. The brain dead possibilities are endless!
  I wonder how many directors feel they sell their soul when they do a sequel? I will never deny that I might end there myself. There's still bills to pay and I'm sure there will be a few extra zeros on that check if someone is trying to persuade you to do a sequel.
  And it's OK that they are there! I just think it's depressing how many there are and how they keep finding new ways to sneak them up on us in different forms. And how dare they remake the classics! I almost feel it destroys the original when they do that. My heart wept as I saw the remake of 'Fright Night' and I am appalled to recently have found out that they are redoing 'Carrie'! It cannot and will not ever be close to the original! Why? Why??
  And we, the people, hold the power! We go see it so they keep making it! I go see them because I often feel I must! What can I do? What can we do? It's like the guilt you feel if you go to your friend's party but not the next one. There's just something there you must not miss because they lure you into thinking it is part of the story you already saw.

The Cabin In The Woods

So - the choice the other day was between 'The Avengers' and something a little more horror-ish. So I chose to watch 'Cabin In The Woods' - a film I've been sort of following for quite some time now! Apparently a lot of interesting things went on with this project delaying it time after time. It was shot in 2009 and opened a month ago. Well, better late than never I guess and reading about it, watching the trailers etc did intrigue me.
 Anyway - I wish more films did what this one does! NOT give away everything in the trailer. Actually from the very beginning you are intrigued by the way things happen and how they happen and why they happen.
 Without giving away any more of the plot I think there are some interesting similarities between this film and 'The Hunger Games'. But judge for yourself when and if you get to see both.
 I like how this film starts much like so many other youth slasher films. A group of stereotype young people are going out into the woods to spend a weekend in some deserted cabin. Have we heard this one before? But then we start getting little hints about the real story that develops throughout the film and culminates in a finale that, whether you 'buy' it or not, certainly is original and very entertaining.
 It was so nice and refreshing to get to see one of these 'here we go again' films with a giant twist. Almost as if the makers knew that this is how we would think.
 Exactly why they waited so long to release it I'm not sure. It is interesting though. Maybe they were waiting for Chris Hemsworth to become enough of a star to sell some tickets though I think the story itself sells it. None of the actors are particularly memorable - well there is one cameo towards the end that blew my socks off. Very interesting choice! However, the actors don't have to be great in this film, everything else that goes on is what you need to pay attention to. I still cannot quite wrap my head around what exactly I think of the actual story but I was entertained and intrigued like I haven't been for a very long time by this type of film.
 Drew Goddard co-wrote and directed. He wrote 'Cloverfield' and was a writer on 'Lost' so I think that should give away that there are a few surprises along the way. The other writer, Joss Whedon, is the man behind 'The Avengers' and 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' so the simple fact that these two guys write the script should be enough to attract some serious attention. I kind of want them to collaborate again. It's very interesting!

X MEN MANIA

Now it's time to talk about the 'X-Men' films. All 3 of them! Yes, I know there technically are more than the 3 But to avoid any confusion I'm talking about 'X-Men', 'X-Men 2' and 'X-Men, The Last Stand' !
 We will save the others, 'First Class' and 'Wolverine' for later. I think it makes sense to leave them out of this for now.
 I remember all the way back in what must have been 1999 or early 2000 when I first saw the trailer for 'X-Men'. I was ecstatic! A movie with cutting edge special effects, super heroes and, for the first time, two of my absolute favorite guys, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in the same film. Joy!! What more could you ask for!
 I don't think I ever before had been this excited about a film! I probably went on opening night by myself as I often did when I was younger because everyone I knew thought sci-fi was 'stupid'. I actually don't remember exactly when I went and who I went with.
 It was definitely one of the best super hero films I had ever seen. I thought plot, story and everything was so much more believable than all the other super hero movies that had been out around that time. I also actually think that the success of the X-Men films led to many of the other super hero films we saw in the early 2000's, and now for that matter. It has gone a little out of control in my opinion but judge for yourself.
 Anyway, back to the first film. I enjoyed just about everything about this film. The effects were absolutely astonishing, the acting was pretty cool and characters actually had some depth too. This was where I first really discovered Famke Janssen, and I've been madly in live with her ever since. There's just something about her. I cannot get over it.
 Another thing, the only really negative thing I remember, I cannot get over was how bad Halle Berry was. Yes she's hot and all that but ironically, as far as I know, she is the only one in the cast ever to win an Oscar and yet she was definitely,in all 3 films, the weakest link. I don't know if the role just never was right for her or what but I have been annoyed through all 3 films watching her boring version of Storm. Angela Bassett or Viveca Fox had been so much more fierce in that role in my opinion but unfortunately nobody ever bothered to ask me to cast the films.
 Anyway, it was a great great film and I am pretty sure I saw it at the movie theatre at least 3 times and have since seen it several times per year.
 It's a clever theme isn't it. You can apply these 'special' people to just about anyone who has ever felt different, been treated differently or who are not like everyone else. It's perfect, timeless and ever relevant. That's probably the thing I loved most about the films. I've always been one of these people who could blend in anywhere and yet belonged nowhere so I think I was very drawn to the themes in these films among all the other things I mentioned.
 I've never been the biggest fan of Anna Paquin - oh wait, another Oscar winner, though she was very young so does that count?. She is not terribly memorable but doing a decent job in the role. Naturally it's Ian McKellen who stands out the most. How he must have loved that role. I. About 50 years younger than him but would kill for just about any role I've seen him in. As a sci-fi and fantasy fan, could anything be more amazing than to play Magneto AND Gandalf? Not to mention, as a giant Stephen King fan, his chilling performance in 'Apt Pupil'. A performance I think was overlooked at just about every award show on the planet. Something I'll never understand along with the overlooking of Kathy Bates in 'Dolores Claiborne'.
 But I was in my way into Stephen King land there! You'll notice how I can manage to make just about any conversation or film chat end up in that world. That's how cool I think the man and his work is.
 Anyway, back to 'X-Men'. Something that obviously did start in the first film but kept going throughout was the fantastic score by Michael Kamen, John Ottman and John Powell! Yeah I bet you thought it was the same person scoring all 3 films didn't you? So did I for a long time and naturally I'm sure John Ottman and John Powell has had a certain eye, or ear, on the original music from the first film but they managed to blend it all together very very nicely along with a few surprises of their own.
 Bryan Singer directed! He also directed 'Apt Pupil' by the way and thank heavens for what must have been a good collaboration with McKellen, leading to this film and the following one. I've never forgiven him for not directing 'X-Men, The Last Stand' but I can understand why he wanted to try new things, though I was not terribly impressed by his 'Superman Returns'.
 Patrick Stewart and I go way back. As long as I can remember I was glued to the TV throughout the 90's watching 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. This was my whole world when I was a kid. I loved that show and I still do! I'm not ashamed to say that. And the biggest impact was definitely Stewart. Strangely I had no problem transitioning when I saw him as Charles Xavier in 'X-Men'. No problem there so either well done him or well done me!
 He is also an actor who I admire. Though he is, and has always been, much more of a theatre actor he does very well in films and on TV and dares to be in sci-fi. Something I'm sure is frowned upon by many people who have seen him in various Shakespeare roles. But I like it when actors dare to do something different and break out of the box they've been put in. And I'm sure his success in 'Star Trek' had a lot to say in his decision to play Xavier.
 I'm not going to go through every actor in the film. I just wanted to mention my favorites. I do think just about everyone does a pretty good job, apart from ms. Berry, but naturally certain people stand out in my opinion.
 On to 'X-men 2' or 'X2' as I think is the accurate title. Enter the ever fabulous Brian Cox, someone I didn't know much about until this film but certainly has discovered him and his fabulous way of playing characters who always seem to have something up their sleeve.
 In this film, Bryan Singer also really got to play with characters and story and what a delight that was. After the giant success of the first film he probably had a lot more to say, a lot bigger budget and in general just all the tools to make some artistic (hopefully) decisions. Unfortunately Halle Berry had now just won an Oscar and one of the more annoying decisions was to expand her role a little more than I would like but so be it. It's understandable!
 What I love most about the second film is the clever plot, where the 'good' mutants and the 'bad' ones are forced to work together against a common enemy who wants to destroy them. By now you already know the characters and they get to flourish and have great little moments. I also feel the sharp humor coming out a little more in this film allowing especially Mystique and Magneto to have much more fun. Obviously Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) was also a favorite character in the first film leading her to be more present I. The second one. This being one of the better decisions I think.
 The also ever interesting Bruce Davison gets to play around here as well, having to play not only his original role as senator Kelly but also Mystique in the shape of Senator Kelly. Such an interesting challenge that must have been. I missed him in the third film. But I missed a lot of things in the third film.
 And speaking of the third film, let's get it over with. My love for the third film, 'X-Men, The Last Stand' is colored a lot by my love for the first two, the actors and the whole universe. If I try to look away from those things this is a weak, weak film. The plot could have been interesting, but it isn't. The dialogue is suddenly not as good and seems to be written by someone who didn't know anything about the previous 2 films. There are holes in plot everywhere and multiple things just doesn't make sense. For instance, Dr. Jean Gray ( Famke Janssen) returns without any explanation. One of the most lame returns on film simply explained with the dialogue: 'Jean? How?' . 'I don't know!' and then we are supposed to just accept that.
 It seems like there are several characters in the third film the writers/director just didn't really know what to do with. All new actors introduced in this film are weak, and even the not weak ones, like the always wonderful Shoreh Agdashloo, are given little to work with.
 Brett Ratner took over here! Why? I will ask myself that forever! My biggest problem with this film is that every time I see it I wish I could have known what Bryan Singer would have done with it.
 The classical mistake of covering everything in elaborate effects to try and hide the weak story is made. And granted, the effects are pretty spectacular! But there's just too much going on too fast and everyone seems changed in a way that doesn't really respect the first films. I guess I can say I really want to hate this film but my love for the first two and my admiration for certain actors make that impossible.
 I'm a sucker for sequels but I also think bad sequels are one of the most disrespectful things because it makes you look at the original film(s) with different eyes as well and can no longer see them the way you did before you learned what happened in the sequel(s). The worst examples I can remember are 'The Exorcist II' and 'Poltergeist III'. Movies that completely ruined my view of the fantastic originals but of course I couldn't NOT see them. And this is pretty much up there as well. The movie is no where near as awful as those sequels but still leaves much to be desired.
 I remember shortly after they announced 'Wolverine' there was also a 'Magneto' in the works. Somehow that was abandoned though. I would love to see that film, preferably with Bryan Singer and McKellen at the front line, maybe with Mr. Fassbender as the young version. He did a good job in the 'X-Men: First Class' film but I simply missed the original cast too much in that film. There's a class, charm, irony and spark in McKellen I don't think anyone can or ever will match. He and Stewart are two of my favorite actors and I have been fortunate enough to see both of them on stage as well in performances I'll never forget.

James Newton Howard & M. Night Shyamalan

I mentioned my love for James Newton Howard in my earlier review of 'The Village'. Just for everyone out there I wanted to give you a listen to some of the nice work he has done on M. Night Shyamalan's films. They are, of course, not the only movies he has worked on but take a minute and look him up and find out just how many films this man has scored. It's pretty impressive.

Roger Deakins

One of the most memorable cinematographers in the last 20 years, Roger Deakins, shares one of his favorite moments from one of his best films.

The Village

 I came across some other review online about someone who saw the movie again after a while and now loved it. He/she more or less hated it when it first came out. My story is sort of similar so I decided to see the film again. I've probably only seen it in its entirety 3 or 4 times. Last time was quite a while ago so I thought I'd give it another swing.
 M. Night Shyamalan has taken a few hits in the last few years. Most of all it annoys me that I always have to look up the spelling of his name every time I mention it or try to pronounce it.
 He started out incredibly well. Almost too well I'm sure many would say. The Sixth Sense was such a hit that it was hard to match it. There's been a string of films from him since and I'll probably go through them all here - because I want to give the man another chance and I want to understand where it is all coming from. I think he has some great ideas but they probably just don't always work out or he doesn't do proper research. And the ideas are maybe a little out there like in 'The Happening' and 'Signs'. Hard for a lot of people to digest and even harder when the acting is maybe not considered the best in some of his films.
 And speaking of that - 'The Village' could probably have suffered a lot with a cast of more one dimensional characters and actors but it has an impressive array of talent lined up. At the front line is the always captivating Bryce Dallas Howard, also Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver have the heavier roles and all play them with such depth, understanding, passion and tenderness that regardless of what you think of the movie itself, their performances are very strong.
 As I mentioned, I more or less hated the film when I saw it the first time. For me, it was because I had craved a good monster film for so long and had put a lot of eggs in that basket. However, this is not a monster film and I was so disappointed by that back then that I was more or less blind to the rest of the story.
 And what is the story? I'll try not to do too many spoilers in my writings here but do forgive me if I slip here and there.
 In a very small village in the middle of the woods a group of people have for a long time lived in a somewhat peaceful coexistence with 'those we do not speak of' - hideous creatures who lurk in the woods and will only harm people if they break certain rules. Suddenly, however, it seems that something has enraged the creatures and brought them into the village. Signs are all around that they have been there and the people of the village fear for their lives. Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard) requests to leave the village after an accident that leaves Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) badly injured. She needs to go to 'the towns for medicines'. This leads to the big reveal in the film and forces the 'elders' (William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson, Cherry Jones) to make some painful and necessary decisions and trips down memory lane.
 After watching the film with new eyes and already knowing the plot, not to mention years later, I discovered the extreme love, tenderness and human connections that this film is all about. It's a lot about what's right and wrong in certain situations and certainly forces the viewer to consider his or her own life and what matters, how far you would go for innocence, love and to protect the ones you love.
 It's actually an extremely sweet film now that I look at it. I am a bit colored by my love for almost all the actors in this film and how I rarely have anything bad to say about them even in films I find uninspiring. It's also fun to notice Jesse Eisenberg in a tiny tiny role in this film. I don't think I even noticed him when I first saw it, but after 'The Social Network' etc he certainly does pop up even if it is only for a very few moments in this film.
 I think one of the reasons I keep giving Mr. Shyamalan chance after chance even though I haven't liked his recent films ( let's see if I might change my mind when I see them again) is because it's clear he is a very good storyteller. As I mentioned earlier I just think he needs to do better research, maybe not create too fantastic worlds on his own and come up with his own entire mythology and  drown things in effects and noise. I think 'The Village' - what I consider, for now at least, to be his last good film, is proof that he does need to keep it smaller. He is good with people and their emotions and conflicts in extreme situations, much like Stephen King is. I just think he might be too eager to do too much too soon. He tries though, and no matter what you say about the man he is pretty original. And though that's a good thing and a bad thing at the same time I actually would like to see what he would be able to do with the screenplay based on a very good novel, maybe even a Stephen King story.
  Another Thing worth mentioning is the very beautiful soundtrack by James Newton Howard. Some of the tracks are almost like classical pieces of music and holds qualities worth listening to again and again. Newton Howard has made the music for several of Shyamalan's films and even the worst ones still have a quite beautiful soundtrack attached. Also there is some quite beautiful images in the film, Roger Deakins did the cinematography and maybe it's no coincidence that it looks beautiful. He is the man behind 'The Shawskank Redemption', 'Revolutionary Road', 'No Country For Old Men' and countless other very well known films. The cinematography is slow, several very long takes and many moments of beauty that seems effortless and almost unintentional.