Martyrs is a film that I have watched twice in the space of a few days. It's a film that has been occupying my thoughts heavily, and I can't seem to shake it. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I do know for sure that this is an absolutely staggering piece of cinema, and I'm shocked that I nearly allowed it to pass me by. This wasn't a film I expected to like.
I find that generally various trends and sub genres tend to go stale fairly quick. Asian horror films had been increasingly mundane and formulaic even before the American remakes. Modern gore movies seem to have lost their bang for me as well, and I've been far more interested in the likes of Let The Right One In and [Rec] than any extreme violence. But on the recommendation of a friend, I picked up Martyrs, expecting at the most an above-average gore fest.
What I saw, was something that completely exceeded my expectations in almost every way. It was an absolutely chilling watch, every bit a terrifying psychological trip as much as a brutal and sadistic show of violence. I knew it was going to be hard to watch, but it caught me completely unprepared, disturbing not merely because of the level of violence, but deeply and extremely unnerving on a whole other level. The psychological and the visceral styles are often at odds with each other in horror, and it does seem as if Martyrs has taken elements from different films and put them together in a way that's quite jarring and doesn't come together until the end. The first half reminded me slightly of A Tale Of Two Sisters in places, shifting in tone to a more brutal revenge style film, before descending into one of the most bleak and upsetting pieces of cinema I have ever seen.
Director and writer Pascal Laugier has crafted one of the most effecting horror films you could ever care to watch. The two leads, Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) and Anna (Morjana Alaoui) are extremely well written characters, played magnificently well by the respective actresses, and are the real triumph of the film. I've said before that for a horror to truly engage the audience, it needs first and foremost characters that engage us, that we feel for and connect to, and Martyrs accomplishes this. Lucie especially is a tragic character, haunted, driven, confused and tormented with survivor's guilt, and the relationship between her and Anna seems so very real. Unlike a number of other horror films I've seen lately, these are characters I feel for and care about. Anna's selflessness and good nature made me feel all the more hurt by the end.
Martyrs is a deeply upsetting and uncomfortable film. It's a thoroughly fantastic one, in that it accomplishes what it sets out to do, and emotionally assaults the audience, it was utterly terrifying, bleak, chilling, disturbing, tragic, made me feel extremely angry and extremely sad. It's stuck with me days after watching it, much like Let The Right One In, Audition, or Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue. Good or bad, this film makes an impact.
13-Jul-2009
Martyrs
27-Jun-2009
16-Jun-2009
Akira remake has exploded.
According to Bloody Disgusting, the proposed remake of the classic Anime feature Akira is now dead. Personally, I feel this is both good, and bad news. The fact of the matter is that remakes rarely work, and the potential for turning one of the most influential and iconic films in Anime history into something like this is always there. As well as that, the budget that a project like this would need to be staggering in order for the film to be fully realized as live action.
On the other hand, if done right, the proposed 2-part Akira remake could have been something very spectacular indeed. I've been waiting for quite a long time to see Irish director Ruairi Robinson who was nominated for an Oscar for his short film Fifty Percent Grey, direct a feature length film. So now that he's walked away from the project, who knows when that could be?
10-Jun-2009
Screaming girls and sparkling vampires.
It seems all around there's a shitstorm of screaming girls, parody videos, humorous comics, and blog rants, all aimed squarely at the pop phenomenon with sparkly vampires, even South Park has a few digs. It's something I've just tried to ignore, Twilight was never a film that I'd be interested in, The Twilight Samurai is more my kind of movie, but more and more it just seemed like I was missing out on something big. Maybe it was morbid curiosity, that I had to know was this really as bad as everyone said it was? Or did I just want to get in on the joke? Whatever reason, I needed to have an opinion on the film itself, I need to go find the body and see it with my own eyes even if I new in advance how horrible it was going to be.
To my surprise, it's not the worst film I've ever seen. Now it is indeed horrible, and sure it is camp, the acting is stilted and awkward, the plot is shallow, the characters flat and poorly developed, the dialogue is thoroughly horrendous, and the special effects are hilariously bad, but despite all that (or perhaps because of it) I did kind of enjoy the film to a degree. Amid the stiff romance of the wooden and chemistry-free leads, there's a great deal of some extremely silly and unintentionally funny scenes. Vampire baseball anyone? I'd ask anyone to watch Twilight and not laugh at that, how a scene as contrived and ridiculous as that could make it into the film without irony.
The chuckles start fairly early. There's a scene where the nauseatingly aloof lead Bella first meets the heart-throb vampire boy Edward, and it comes across like the scene in Wayne's World where Garth falls in love with the dream woman. A friend likened it to something from a cheap porno. The setup of the scene felt like a parody, it's astonishingly contrived and looks hilarious. There's a similarly cheap and tacky scene where Edward's playing piano which would seem completely at home in an advert for chocolates. Then there's the sparkles. I don't know what kind of brain fart writer Stephenie Meyer had when she thought that undead blood drinkers should sparkle, it makes about as much sense as zombies laying chocolate eggs. "This is the skin of a killer!" Edward exclaims. No, that's the skin of Tinkerbell. Which begs the question, does a vampire's reflection look like an adorable little kitten in Twilight's world?
Robert Pattinson gives one of the worst performances I've seen in a long time. Putting away his delivery of the dialogue, his entire act is based around one look, all he ever seems to do is pout and look up from under his heavy brow. It's a performance worthy of Derek Zoolander, I couldn't watch a single scene with Pattinson without thinking Blue Steel, it's uncanny.
It's an absolutely terrible movie, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it just for how bad it was, it could almost fall under the "So bad it's good" category. If we stop to think of the unintentional subtext in the story, it becomes even more ridiculous. Strip away the vampiric trimmings, and the story is about a girl being submissive to a stalker who follows her and watches her sleep. I'm in awe of how such a terrible story has garnered such a following, something so shallow and poorly made that has become so successful I can only liken to a company finding a way to market bottles of air. It's not as if either of the leads can act, nor is there much in the way of plot, but seeing all the merchandising surrounding Twilight it seems the appeal could be more like a brand that's encapsulated the young fans more so than anything else?
I really can't wait for the inevitable Stiller parody though.
I'm not coming down until they stop screaming!26-May-2009
"I'll Be Back" theTerminator Monster Ballad
With the rather mixed reviews popping up all over the place many of us life long Terminator fans are preparing for the worst. So diverse are the reviews that one can't help but wonder if perhaps half the worlds critics were paid to write positive things about the film but this is obviously not the case as Harry "I love anything as long as I get a muffin basket from the producers" Knowles took the film apart in what is easily one of the worst reviews to ever grace the Internet. Long known for his biased and unfair reviews Knowles seems to have gone out of his way to trash the film though there's a good chance that once he gets a free copy of the Blu Ray of a key chain then his opinion will change and Salvation will be up there with T2 in his opinion.
I'm keeping an open mind and reserving all judgement for Salvation as the tralers have interested me immensly and I don't despise McG as many do. I think he has shown himself to be a talented director with his post Charlie's out put and say what you want about the Charlie's films they certainly looked good.
If Salvation is half as much fun as this monster ballad based on the franchise well then I do believe it could be a winner.
11-May-2009
Let The Right One In
This is one that I had been waiting for a long time. In fact, it's been just over a year since I first talked about it on this blog, but it finally got a cinema release in the UK & Ireland, and it's something I am extremely glad I waited to see on the big screen. Without trying to sound overboard, I sincerely think that Let The Right One In is one of the best films I have ever seen, it left me breathless.
I don't know of any other film I've seen lately that has been as utterly affecting, as powerful, beautiful, haunting and as disturbing as this one. I'll often judge a horror film by how it measures up to the greats of the genre, and in this I have found one that does not merely measure up, it actually surpasses them. It captures a sense of social and emotional isolation even greater than that of Polanski's The Tenant, a sense of permeating darkness greater than that of The Shining or The Exorcist, and it comes off as more personally effecting than any of them.
I believe the best way for a horror film to succeed is to have characters that engage us, that we can relate to, and feel for. Not many horrors manage this, but the few that do are the ones that hit us the hardest; The Exorcist works so well because of how endearing young Regan is and how we're frightened for her. The protagonist of Let The Right One In is 12 year old Oskar (played fantastically by Kåre Hedebrant), he's seemingly alone in the world, picked on and tormented by other children in school, and his parents are separated. There's one scene in the film where Oskar is happy with his father, but when someone calls around, out comes the booze and Oskar is seemingly brushed aside by his father in favour of the bottle and his new company. This is a character I genuinely felt for, and for a horror movie, that's something extremely rare.
Oskar soon meets Eli (Lina Leandersson), who is from all outward appearances a 12 year old girl. She's moved in next door to Oskar along with a man that other characters presume to be her father. Coyly the two become friends, and Eli encourages the very timid Oskar to fight back against the bullies, where he had previously bottling up his anger into murderous fantasies. It becomes more clear to him that Eli is different, she's a vampire, but that doesn't seem to phase him and they grow a close bond.
The character of Eli is another triumph of the film, she's one of the most intriguing, yet absolutely chilling vampires ever portrayed onscreen. She doesn't say much, and her motivations don't seem all that clear. As the film goes on, I felt happy that Oskar found a friend, but for all the outward innocence of his and Eli's relationship, there seems to be something very cold and calculated about it and by the end of the film I wasn't sure if Oskar was redeemed, manipulated, or just another victim. The ending is left very open to interpretation, and that's what I found so haunting and chilling about the film. It's magnificently subtle.
I won't say that the film is perfect, there's one scene that I felt worked against it, you'll know the one I mean if you've seen it. But in all other aspects, this is an absolute masterpiece. Director Tomas Alfredson has made a film that looks nothing short of beautiful yet bleak and haunting, scenes are framed with a true artistry, and it keeps a steady pace throughout. It can be taken as a story of love and friendship, or something far more sinister. But overall, this is a film that is without peers, it is one of the most significant horror films in a very long time. The acting is superb, and rarely will you find young actors as good as the 2 leads here. Special mention has to go to the score by Johan Söderqvist, it sets the tone amazingly, it's as subtle yet powerful and as affecting as the film itself.
There's really very few films that have left me as staggered as this one, that have instantly solidified themselves as favorites like this has. I'd recommend it without reserve, whether you're a fan of horror or not. Let The Right One In, along with the likes of Ring and Don't Look Now, is what I'll be judging further Horror films against. It's raised the bar.
29-Apr-2009
Remembering my father through film.
I never thought that I'd be posting something this personal here. I was debating if I should write this or not, and it's been very hard for me trying to put my feelings into words. Early this month, my father passed away. He was only 68. I drank myself stupid when I heard, and then a couple of days later I was carrying his casket, then drank myself stupid again afterwards. My left hand was shaking uncontrollably as they lowered him into to the grave, and I was struggling to hold in the tears. My father had died, and I was extremely upset for a while afterwards, but I think things really hit me hard a few days ago.
My family and I were collecting up his papers, his books, and other things. My mother asked if either I or my sister wanted anything anything of his to keep, something personal to remind me down the years. What I wanted more than anything else, was the old Indiana Jones DVD box set that I got him as a present many years ago. Mum asked was I sure there wasn't anything else I wanted, and I said no, this was what I wanted. This was something personal, that meant a lot to me, because we both loved Indiana Jones and we had watched the films so very many times together when I was growing up. It was a greater memento of my father than anything else I could have taken.
It was after watching Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade back to back that the loss of my father really hit. We weren't all that close, and in the last few years, we didn't really see much of each other except at Christmas and other rare occasions. Just before Christmas 2008 was that last time I saw him, though I spoke to him on the phone not long after that. We didn't share many interests, he was a big football fan, and I wasn't. A couple of times, we'd be talking on the phone and he'd go quiet all of a sudden and not reply, only to let out a cheer abruptly as his team scored. That frustrated me, and I'd give out to him for ignoring me over the football. It was funny looking back on it. But films were one thing we shared an interest in, and that's when it really hit home, because when we were at our closest, it was watching films together. All my best memories of my father were enjoying James Bond movies, or Star Wars, and films with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Clint Eastwood.
So many memories of my father had come flooding back to me, of all the good times we had together. I had always remembered the bad times we had, and there were many, but the good times seemed to have slipped away until recently. He took me to see Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and although it was a disappointment, I can remember how happy and excited I was to go and see it with him, although that was probably the last one we saw together. There were a lot of films he took me to see, such as Jurassic Park and Star Trek: First Contact, or The Saint. I think 1999 was probably the last year we'd gone to the cinema together, it was a good year because as well as Star Wars, we saw The Matrix, The Mummy and The Haunting. That was also the year I started to go off to the cinema on my own, with my own friends, and without my father.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was a film we both loved, and it will always carry a special memory for me. You see, my father was from Nottingham, and the legend of Robin Hood was one that I loved, it was his story, his legend. We visited Nottingham castle when I was very young. I know Prince of Thieves was not the definitive telling of the tale, but it's a film that's completely embedded in my memories of my father. I guess it's why I'll always have time for Kevin Costner as an actor, and Waterworld was another film that my father took me to see in the cinema.
As strict as he was most of the time, he never objected to me watching violent movies, and I guess I'll always thank him for that. I was about 11 or 12, and we watched Aliens together. It scared the life out of me, but he was there, minding me throughout it all. He took me to the video store every so often, and he'd always let me pick out the films to rent. I don't think he ever really rented anything himself, but I think we always had the same tastes, and we'd always watch them together.. We both liked a lot of sci-fi films and TV shows, we loved to sit and watch Star Trek: The Next Generation together, The X Files, and I still remember us watching Space: Above and Beyond.
I always knew what it was like to lose someone you were close to, since my granddad died when I was very young, there was deaths of uncles and my grandmother throughout my life, but this was different. Despite how separate we were in the later years, this felt the closest. In the end, I loved him. I guess I don't have any regrets, but having all those fond memories come floating back to me, I started thinking about all the things we'd never share again. How I'd seen films lately that he would have loved, like Taken. One of the last conversations was about some DVDs I had bought him for Christmas. I got him the Denzel Washington version of The Manchurian Candidate. He liked it.
21-Apr-2009
Transformers TV Spot
Wow, just wow. I really don't know what else you can say about that. Rise of the Fallen is really shaping up to be something special and with the addition of Mike Patton as Mixmaster my anticipation has reached previously unknown levels.
This summer is really shaping up to be quite something for us children of the 80s, what with both Transformers and G.I. Joe hitting our screens within weeks of one another. Well I say it could be special but early word concerning Joe is that may of us will sit quietly in darkened theatres as our childhoods are raped before our very eyes. If anyone can explain how Cobra manages to control shrubbery and utilise it bring down the bloody Eiffel Tower I would glady appreciate them letting me know as I've given up trying to make sense of it.
