FRIDAY THE 13TH - PARTS 1-3

Friday the 13th Parts 1, 2, 3 (1980-82) dir. Sean S. Cunningham, Steve Miner
Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Any Steel, Richard Brooker

*1/2 (Part 1)
*** (Part 2)
* (Part 3)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ah-Ah-Ah. That familiar music sting used to bring chills to my spine and induce nightmares in my childhood. Watching these films back in the day, with its reputation of extreme depravity and gruesomeness, at least to a 5-8 year old was as illicit as watching porn. It couldn't be anything further than the truth. Little did I know they were just cheap Halloween knock offs made to exploit some teenage sex and death.


The first three films have been repackaged and re-released on DVD by Paramount Pictures. The third one, in 3-D, actually contains two pairs of 3-D glasses to watch it authentically at home with your partner. Let's take a look back at these first three films:

If "Halloween" birthed the genre of the masked slasher horror flick, “Friday the 13th” made it a cliché and quickly ruined it. Despite being one of cinema's venerable franchises (and the reboot version is released today) few of these films were actually very good. Unlike "Halloween", a series which started with perfection and gradually gave us lesser returns, “Friday the 13th” started with a bad film and contined to be consistently bad throughout the years.

If taken as intentional the original film can be quite hilarious. A group of 1980-era teenagers wearing ill fitting belly high jeans, bright red hot pants travel to derelict Camp Crystal Lake for some sex frolicking fun. Little do they know years ago a young boy drowned because some similarly aged, equally libidinous teenagers weren't paying attention. As a result a curse has continued to this day which will ensure the untimely death of all of them.

In the early part of the series there was a clear formula, in the first two acts, we only ever saw the murders from the killer's point of view, and only when there were one or two people left was the killer revealed. There’s actually very little suspense in the first film. Seeing the killer only from a POV with the victims looking straight down the barrel of the camera limits the options for scaring us. Foreshadowing includes the bicyle-riding god-fearing town crazy Ralph, a usual second act rainstorm, POV shots from the woods, and the weaponry which will be used by the killer later on the film. Whether its a someone chopping wood with an axe, or shooting a bow and arrow we know the kids will ironically by killed by their own instruments.

After being sorely disappointed rewatching the first film I was genuinely surprised by the second. "Friday the 13th Part 2" is legitamately a good film. Another franchise consistency we see born in the second film is the opening recap. We get to see the final 5mins of the original film replayed at the beginning of the second. While the set up is the same - sexpot camp counsellors go back to Crystal Lake and get slaughtered, the protagonist in the Part 2 is played by an actor who can actually act. 80's TV veteran Amy Steel is a solid anchor, someone we actually want to escape and survive her torturous adventure with Jason. Jason in the second film is at his scariest. He doesn't get his iconic hockey mask until midway through the third film, but in part 2 his mask is a simple white bag over his head. The final act, a lengthy chase through the woods and through the cabins is as intense as any horror film today. At the end we get a legitimately gruesome look into Jason's layer full of severed heads of his victims and a shrine to his dead mother.

Part 3 is just plain terrible - worse than Part 1. Director Steve Miner who elevated the series in part 2 takes it down a few notches by going with a 3-D gimmick. Miner seems to concentrate so much on the 3-D gags that he forgets to make a scary movie.

I recall Part IV with Corey Feldman as being a decent film, but that's my 25 year old memory. I'll need to revisit that one soon to see if holds up. Enjoy.

"Friday the 13th" on Blu-Ray features audio commentary from director Sean Cunningham, and a host fun and irreverant featurettes on the franchise.

NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008) dir. Peter Sollett
Starring: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Jay Baruchel

**

A forgettable entry in the 'one-great-night' film genre plays like Generation Y version of “American Graffiti” or “Dazed and Confused”. It’s a warm and honest character piece that tries hard not to fall into cliché, or that Garden State earnestness. An aloof superiority threatens to creep in, resulting in an off-putting tone of early 90’s angst.

Michael Cera plays Nick, a high school student and bassist for an unsigned hipster band. He’s just broken up with his girlfriend and still harbours some feelings towards her even though she has moved on without looking back. Norah is in the same boat with her boyfriend whom she just can’t say no to. Norah knows Nick via his elaborate and hopelessly romantic mix CDs he has given to his ex-girlfriend who attends the same school. They meet coincidentally after Nick’s show and spark a fun and rambunctious Before Sunrise-type relationship while they aggressively search for a mystery concert to be played by their mutual favourite band with a ridiculous name of “Where’s Fluffy”.

Michael Cera is the ideal actor to play this role, but it’s also something we’ve seen from Cera before. His geek schtick is in full-force and for me his drole understated humour is more miss than hit. Like Martin and Lewis, he plays better against a Jerry Lewis, over-the-top comic partners like “Superbad’s Jonah Hill” or Will Arnett. And so the film is barely a comedy, and barely a drama – middle ground of self-importance which walks a fine line between thoughtful and just plain boring.

Director Peter Sollett also suffers from having his soundtrack hipper and more enjoyable than his film. As with these abovementioned ‘one night’ flicks the music of the time and place is a character of its own. In this case it’s the indie-hip alt-rock music scene. Great tunes from “We Are Scientists”, “Band of Horses”, “Vampire Weekend” and the Dead 60’s” set the bar high which the content on the screen just can’t keep up with.

“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” moves from event to event, one hip location to another, consciously trying to tap into that idealistic  fantasy which represents all the best moments of one’s high school memories. But perhaps I'm just too cynical. 

“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist | Movie Trailers

QUARANTINE

Quarantine (2008) dir. John Erick Dowdle
Starring: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Steve Harris, Jonathan Schaech

**1/2

“Quarantine” tests the waters once again of the fake video camera films like “Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield”. Told from the point of view of a news crew on a story about LA Fire Fighters, a zombie horror crisis arises in a locked down tenement building. It’s a remake of the Spanish horror flick “Rec” directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza of which I confess not having seen, so I can’t say, “the original was better’. So take this review as unbiased.

It’s Los Angeles and a young, ambitious and spritely TV news reporter Angela Videl (Jennifer Carpenter) is doing a story on fire fighters. From the point of view of the TV camera we follow her through the fire hall and meet the fun loving working class fireman who gab and joke around with typical male machismo. When a call goes out for a fire, finally Angela gets the action she’s been waiting for.

She and the cameraman (still rolling) tag along covering every moment of the action. When they arrive at the building it’s just a medical emergency, a crazed woman frothing at the mouth has to be subdued by two cops. No big deal right? Wrong. When they think all is well, the body of one of the cops is dropped over the staircase rail to his death. WTF? More and more people start exhibiting strange behaviour. Before long Angela and her pals are in a Romero zombie film. When they find themselves locked in or “Quarantined’ it becomes a clausterphobic game of survival – all in front of the cameras.

I had a major problem with “Cloverfield’s” stylistic starting point – the point of view camera. While it’s an interesting way to tell a story, for me it never enhances the story beyond what could be told with traditional coverage. In "Quarantine" since the camera is actually a TV ENG camera, the picture quality and camerawork is broadcast worthy so we’re saved from the nauseating handycam shake of "Cloverfield". Thank god.

Though the presence of the POV camera is meant to create a world of reality, the filmmakers are still manipulating us with traditional cinema techniques. For example, there’s a scene toward the end when Angela fearfully avoids a meandering zombie. She covers underneath a desk while watching the scary beast wander around. The camera holds on Angela’s close-up instead of the zombie. This is cinema, not reality. If this were a real newsman, he’d film the zombie – a much more compelling image than the news reporter. This is the image I wanted to see as the viewer as well. But Dowdle is a filmmaker before he is a newsman and so his cinema instincts is to show the reaction of his character instead of the action itself. By not showing the zombie he’s teasing the audience (like Spielberg not showing the shark). It works for cinema but not for news. 

This is just one example of the contradiction this new POV technique never gets right, and why “Cloverfield” and “Quarantine” is frustratingly distracting. The irony is that the technique actually gets in the way of the story, as opposed to freeing it up.

But how is the film you ask? Even though rabies is the disease, it’s still a zombie movie – but a decent zombie movie, as cynical and uncompromising as any in the genre. Though Jennifer Carpenter becomes more and more annoying as the picture moves along we genuinely care about Dowdle's characters and want them to escape. Genre fans not bothered by the style will be stimulated by this decent genre film.

“Quantantine” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on Feb 17

Quarantine | Movie Trailers

DRUMLINE

Drumline (2002) dir. Charles Stone III
Starring: Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones, Zoe Saldana, Leonard Roberts

***

A modest but profitable hit film in the genre of sports cinema is “Drumline” a formulaic but fun sports film about competitive marching bands.

There’s a great tradition of competitive bands in high school and college, especially African American schools like ‘Southern University”. It’s so important that schools give out full scholarships to the best musicians. This is what happens to Devon Miles (Nick Cannon) a cocky young Harlem student just graduating from high school. Of course, he has massive chip on his shoulder evidenced by his improvisational drum solo at his convocation. But when he goes to an esteemed Atlanta-area university to drum he finds it will take more than just raw talent to succeed at the highest level of banding.

“Drumline” is like the ‘Top Gun’ of band films, a silly but relevant comparison. If Devon is Maverick, the egotistical reckless rebel who can’t channel his talent, his Iceman is Sean (Leonard Roberts), the drumline’s section leader, a senior student who commands the group with military-like control. The Tom Skerrit character is Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones), a man continually frustrated with Devon’s behaviour and his distracting one-on-one battles with Sean. Eventually Devon gets kicked out of the band for lying on his college application when Sean finds out he can't read sheet music. But with the band struggling Sean and Devon will need to bury the hatchet in order for the school to win the big championship against their crosstown rivals.

The purpose of "Drumline" is to showcase the phenomenal artistic talents of the competitive bands. Choreography and composition go hand in hand for director Stone. Even from his opening shot which frames Devon’s graduating high school class from high above, creative compositions and visual patterns are a consistent theme. When it comes to the music set pieces, with the aid of Shane Hurlbut’s fine cinematography (yes, that Shane Hurlbut – google him if you don’t know who he is), these sequences visually pop out of the frame like a complex kaleidoscope of motion.

Like “Top Gun” “Drumline’s formula is often plodding and predictable, screenwriting 101, with every beat hit with the precision of the film’s musicians. But there’s a reason why formulas exist because when done right it produces a familiar sensation, optimizing every emotion for maximum dramatic impact. For this reason “Drumline” makes for great disposable Sunday afternoon hangover-healing couch surfing. Enjoy.

“Drumline” is available on Blu-Ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

TOP TEN LOW BUDGET FILMS UNDER $500,000

Guest commentary by Pasukaru

If you’re a struggling filmmaker, most likely what’s constantly on your mind is finding an idea that would make a great low budget film. The DIY indie has launched the careers of many great filmmakers. Maxing credit cards, borrowing from friends, that rich dentist uncle of yours, and guerrilla location shooting are all part of the financing game of low budget filmmaking. To reduce costs DIY films need to minimize its characters, isolate its locations, and certainly minimize stunts, special effects, pyrotechnics etc.

Filmmakers should always be looking back at the successful ones for inspiration, and learning tools for how to maximize your money. Here are some of the finest, most influential, little known and, well, personal favourites.

But before the list, it’s important to point out a number of key films that are great low budget films that, to the dismay of the author, were a bit too expensive to make the list, but deserve mentioning:

Repulsion ($300,000 in 1965 = $2million today)
The Evil Dead ($375,000 in 1980 equals roughly $960,000 today)
Mad Max ($350,000 in 1979 equals roughly $1million today)
Halloween ($325,000 in 1978 equals roughly $1million today)
Shivers ($179,000 in 1975 equals roughly $700,000 today)
Easy Rider ($340,000 in 1969 equals roughly $2million today!)
Mean Streets ($500,000 in 1973 equals roughly $2.3million today)
Targets ($130,000 in 1968 equals roughly $790,000 today)
May ($500,000 in 2002 equals roughly $589,000 today)

Lastly, all these figures are gathered unscientifically via the IMDB, Box Office etc.

1. KILLER’S KISS (1955)

$40,000 = $316,000 today

I was pleasantly surprised, when adjusted to inflation, that Stanley Kubrick’s breakout low-budget feature film could be included on the list. The gritty film-noir was produced when Kubrick was only 26 years and on welfare. It was shot for merely $40,000, which was borrowed from an uncle that owned a drug store. Kubrick was a one-man film crew (long before Robert Rodriguez would claim the title); he wrote, produced, directed, photographed, and edited. The film used a naturalistic style, which was unconventional for the genre. Nonetheless, having used the legendary Arriflex 35IIA and a springwound Eyemo camera, Kubrick incorporated a rugged hand-held look that would later become commonplace in independent film. Without permits to shoot in one of the world’s busiest cities, the young maverick would shoot exteriors secretly from nearby vehicles and use a truck in place of a dolly. Moreover, Kubrick had fired the sound-man and was forced to shoot the entire film without sound and needed to post-sync all of the dialogue and sound effects. Despite all these limitations, Killer’s Kiss would eventually become a significant part of the Kubrick oeuvre.

2. ERASERHEAD (1977)

$100,000 = $350,000 today

David Lynch’s debut is a surreal freak show that at once baffled and amazed audiences. A twenty-page script created piecemeal over five years, Eraserhead was finally released as a midnight movie and would later become a cult classic. Speaking of Kubrick, he had supposedly shown Eraserhead to his cast before making The Shining in hopes to convey the appropriate atmosphere. The film does not have a coherent plot; rather, it is a series of nightmarish sequences. Interestingly at the time, despite its avant-garde qualities, the Hollywood filmmaker elite, such as Terrence Malick, George Lucas, and Mel Brooks, was championing Eraserhead around town. The genius was apparent. The subject of endless interpretation, Eraserhead has solidified its place in American cinema when it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Respect.

3. PI (1997)

$60,000 = $80,000 today

Eraserhead had obviously influenced Darren Aronofsky when he set out to make his micro-budget tour-de-force, Pi. To finance his film, Aronofsky sold $100 shares of the film to family and friends (he eventually paid them all back with a $50 profit per-share). This stylish black and white film captivated audiences with its creative use of sound and hip-hop montages. It is credited for popularizing, though not invent, the reverse first-person perspective, or the “snoricam”, by physically mounting the camera on the actor, which would subsequently be seen in every commercial and music video. Guerilla tactics in making the film included shooting without permits and using real human brains. Aronofsky would win the Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, and the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. Pi exemplifies how a low budget can be overcome with cinematic creativity. It all paid off, as Artisan picked it up for a million bucks.

4. EL MARIACHI (1992)

$7,000 (+$220,000 in post) = $342,500 today

Cue the Rebel Without A Crew. Robert Rodriguez became an overnight sensation and hero to legions of young filmmakers when his micro-budget action film hit the scene. The 23-year-old filmmaker was producer, director, writer, special-effect man, editor, etc. El Mariachi is famously known for being shot for $7,000 with money raised by volunteering as a laboratory guinea pig. Most of budget was spent on film stock and processing, so there was roughly $600 left to “put on screen”. In fact, to save film Rodriguez only shot one take for every scene, never used a slate, used a wheelchair in lieu of a dolly, and used desk lamps for lighting. Ultimately, El Mariachi is an important touchstone in the American independent film movement of the early ‘90s showing how, with a little money and a lot of effort, it was possible to make a successful and popular film: "creativity, not money, is used to solve problems". And if you thought shooting the film was difficult, read the book “Rebel Without a Crew”, and you’ll discover his even more arduous process of sound editing once the film got picked up for distribution.

5. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)

$84,000 (disputed) = $360,000 today

Arguably one of the most terrifying and influential horror films of all time, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was financed on the profits of the most successful adult film of all time (Deep Throat). The film made about $30 million in the United States, making it one of the most successful independent films at the time. Due to budget limitations, there were few special effects (the blood used was real). Tobe Hooper even had his actress actually cut her index finger with a razor. That’s hardcore. Despite strong criticism for its graphic content, the film triumphs by being nearly bloodless in its depiction of violence. TCM would eventually become the template for countless horror films and an American horror classic.

6. CUBE (1997)

$375,000 = $495,000 today

Popular for its Twilight Zone inspired storyline and Kafkaesque setting, Cube is the only Canadian film on the list, and arguably one of the best films from the country. Directed by Vincenzo Natali, the film was produced through the renowned Feature Film Project via the Canadian Film Centre on a small soundstage - the film uses only one set: a cube-shaped room, measuring 14’ by 14’ for the entire running time. The filmmakers would transition to other cubic rooms by swapping different colored gel panels. Cube would win over legions of fans and become a box-office hit in Europe and Japan. Its reputation would only grow.

7. FOLLOWING (1998)

$6,000 = $7,600 today

A mere 10 years before Christopher Nolan would go on to be a fanboy, god thanks to The Dark Knight, he made a no-budget film noir called The Following. It was made with friends, in black and white 16mm film, on weekends over the course of a year. Filmed on the streets of London and in the homes of friends and family, the project was meant to cost as little as possible. Nolan would rehearse at length to be sure he got what he needed in one or two takes. He used only available light and had no gear to speak of. The strength, therefore, remains in the story. Using an elliptical narrative style that Nolan would continue to employ later, the film keeps you engrossed till the end. The result was an award-winning low budget masterpiece that would usher in one of today’s biggest Hollywood directors.

8. PRIMER (2004)

$7,000 = $7,400 today

Like “El Mariachi”, this high concept no-budget sci-fi thriller is the stuff of indie dreams. Produced for an extremely low 7K on 16mm amid the digital revolution, Primer collected the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Shane Carruth had been a former engineer who quit his job to make a film - a risky venture considering he had not even made a short film before. Nonetheless, with intense research he taught himself not only how to direct, but do the cinematography, sound recording, editing, sound editing and everything else involved with the craft. Oh yeah, he was also the lead actor and composed the music. Carruth didn't leave himself any room for error either. He used a 1:1 shooting ratio, which means every foot of film shot ended up in the final cut. At one point you can even see Carruth on camera as actor calling cut in the shot. Amazing.

9. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999)

$22,000 = $27,000 today

It’s easy to forget what a phenomenon this film was when it came out. Made for a ridiculous $22,000, this film rocked the box office grossing $248 million worldwide, became the most profitable film of all time, and popularized the faux-documentary genre film. Blair Witch is also known for its groundbreaking internet viral marketing campaign, which suggested the film was real and elevated the hype to an unprecedented level prior to its release. Blair Witch was a benchmark in digital film history, inspiring many filmmakers with a 'if they can do it, I can do it.' attitude.

10. IN THE COMPANY OF MEN

$25,000 = $32,000 today

“In the Company of Men” stands out because it’s the most traditional narrative film of them all, yet wholly unique and creative. Successful low budget features have tended to be genre films, with high concepts or marketable hooks. Words on a page are always the most accessible and cheapest tool for a filmmaker. Neil La Bute’s first film uses words like daggers. A cynical and sadistic film about two uber-male businessmen on a mission of misogynistic psychological abuse. Aaron Eckhart's 'Chad' character is often cited as one of cinema's great villains. With minimal locations and actors, the sparseness of the production gave it a unique tone of isolation and danger.  Each scene is shot with a minimum number of camera angles framed with a clever eye for composition.

Ok, before everyone gets in a huff, here are a number of other low budget films, which are successful and influential in their own right, that didn’t quite make this list.

Clerks (1994) – $27,000 (+$230,00 in post) = $375,000 today
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) $100,000 = $372,000
Bad Taste (1987) - $25,000 (+$230,00 in post) = $475,000 today
Little Shop of Horrors (1960) - $30,000 = $216,000 today
She’s Gotta Have it (1986) - $175,000 = $339,000 today
Who’s That Knocking At My Door (1968) - $75,000 = $456,000 today
Last House on the Left (1972) - $87,000 = $440,000 today
Brick (2006) - $450,000
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - $400,000
Ms. 45 (1981) - $62,000 = $144,000 today
Pink Flamingos (1972) - $12,000 = $60,000 today
Faster Pussy Cat! Kill! Kill! (1965) - $45,000 = $300,000
The Brothers McMullan (1995) - $24,000 = $32,300
Slacker (1991) - $23,000 = $35,000
John Cassavetes' Shadows(1959) - ???

THE ROCKER

The Rocker (2008) dir. Peter Cattaneo
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Emma Stone, Josh Gad

**

Remember Pete Best, the former drummer for the Beatles who was famously kicked out of the band before they made it big? Poor Pete Best, what could have been. “The Rocker” tells a similar story as a comedy vehicle for “Office” star Rainn Wilson. It’s more feel-good family friendly comedy than gut-busting funny. A tone of wholesomeness runs throughout diluting some of comic talent in the film.

Rainn Wilson is Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman, the drummer for a “Motley Crue”-like 80’s hair band. When they’re just about to be signed to a major label their manager tells the band to ditch the drummer to ensure their success. With little hesitation the Fish is gone, his dream smashed. 20 years later he's working a dead end desk job, still harbouring ill feelings toward his failed music career.

When his teenager nephew asks him to be in their high school band, suddenly his enthusiasm for drumming is sparked again. At first his gung ho 80’s rock attitude is like oil and water with the underage inexperienced teenagers playing guitar, bass and keys. Fish’s attempt to relive those early years of groupies and hotel trashing bring only shrugs. As the kids learn to be rockstars, Fish courts the mother of one of the band members, helping him gain the confidence of a mature man.

Rainn Wilson tries his best, but this isn't his breakout lead performance. He’s likeable and goes all out for a laugh, but it’s like Dwight Schrutte were the star of “the Office”. There’s just not enough soul to carry the entire film.

While Richard Linklater’s “School of Rock” managed to make a kids-friendly rock comedy fun for adults through the passionate force of Jack Black, Wilson never achieves the same passion. Without this Peter Cattaneo’s formulaic narrative stands out as predictable and tired.

Will Arnett, Fred Armison, Jeff Garlin, Jane Krakwoski are wasted as cameos more than utilizing their comic talents. Only Jason Sudekis who uses his SNL ‘Asshole’ persona to play the band’s ego-tripping manager, David succeeds He’s the best part of the film, which isn’t saying much cause he’s only a minor player.

It's interesting to see the influence of "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" on the film (Fish at one point bonds with his girlfriend while playing 'Guitar Hero') the purpose of which is to put ordinary Joes on the stage and capture the feeling of living out one's dream as rock stars. And so, perhaps for a certain demographic, the film succeeds.

“The Rocker” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

CHE PART 1 - THE ARGENTINE

Che Part 1: The Argentine dir. Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Catalina Sandino Moreno

****

Guest review by Blair Stewart

The first of a two-part chronicle on the life of the Marxist revolutionary, "Che Part 1" for its half story is a success in its unconventionally direct nature. The life of Ernest 'Che' Guevara' was cinematic, and Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro in their career defining roles capture that vitality by removing many of the cliches found in previous bio-pics.

The central conflict of 'The Argentine' is on two levels: On one, the Cuban battlefields as the callow guerrilla fighting ground for Fidel Castro's movement towards a corrupt Havana. On another New York in 1964 with Che's myth forming post-victory as he speaks at the United Nations in defence of "Cuba Libre" and what he has wrought throughout the world politically.

In the jungle we view Che from Soderbergh's clinical distance as Che shifts from a reticent doctor to become the fearsome Commandante. Che is often filmed in the peripheral instead of the expected central frame, like one would view a fellow soldier in a battle. This distance is also established in the lack of focus on the supporting players around Che, with Demian Birchir briefly portraying a memorable Fidel Castro and Catalina Sandino Moreno as his future wife acting as moths to his flame. The solidarity in Che's rhetoric seeps into the frame, with his story becoming secondary to the movement of the guerrillas.

As Guevara, Del Toro's Cannes award-winning performance is natural in its lack of "Oscar moments" barring the UN speech, he's reticent and occasionally a bastard, but also has a believable charisma as the successes build in the revolutionary campaign. There has been criticism for Del Toro's quiet internalization of the role, but his choices make the film much more honest without the expected manipulation of mainstream biographies.

One of the surprises is the complete emphasis placed on battle, a life story told by campaign march without the heroic background score. Soderbergh's combat direction is reminiscent of cinematic war pre-Peckinpah and "Saving Private Ryan", unconcerned with gore and the action is clear-cut. There is an expected jump in film stocks and colour between time periods as Soderbergh has done in previous efforts like "Traffic", a frenetic black and white newsreel jumble worthy of the NFB in the 1960's scenes, and spotless naturalism in Cuba that reinforces the optimism of the fledgling Marxists. In a suspect bit of editing though, Che's role in the questionable execution of army deserters and Batista's men after the war is downplayed significantly, a possible opportunity lost for another layer to this story.

Sadly, "Che" was recently shut out of this year's Oscars despite the intelligence and patience with which it treats its subject. Despite the oversight I recommend you see the first part of an epic look at an epic life, and I hope the second half is on par with the first.

Che ReelzChannel Movie News | Movie Trailers

PUSH

Push (2009) dir. Paul McGuigan
Starring: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Djimon Hounsou, Bai Ling

***

“Push” has so many strikes against, it’s difficult to justify liking this film (plotholes, bad cine-logic, suspect performances etc). The familiar high concept sci-fi super powers tale feels a lot like leftovers of “Heroes”, “Jumper”, and even going way back to “Escape to Witch Mountain” (a remake of this is coming soon as well). But like the flawed yet strangely enjoyable “Jumper” there's something really fun about its distinct cinematic recklessness. "Push" is an instant guilty pleasure.

It’s a kind of an alternate yet contemporary earth world. Among the regular normal humans exists a number of individuals with special powers. An American government organization called ‘The Division’ tracks these individuals worldwide as a kind of omniscient clandestine police. These abilities have cool names like ‘movers’ (telekinesis), ‘watchers’ (clairvoyants),and more. ‘Pushers’ have the most dangerous ability which allows one to project thoughts onto another person’s mind.

Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is a 'mover', who’s burdened with memories of his murdered father (also a 'mover'). When a sprite young tweener 'watcher' Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) foresees a way to take down the evil “Division’ Nick joins along for a rollercoaster ride of action and intrigue. Their mission is to find an escaped ‘pusher’ Kira Hudson (the silent but gorgeous Camilla Belle) and a mysterious briefcase which holds the key to destroying the Division.

It’s a great set-up, with a manageable number of special abilities, all with their own defined ‘rules’. In films like "X-Men" when there's a character like Storm who has the ability to create a tornado at will, it makes for an unfair and unrealistic fight. "Push" writer David Bourla give his heroes and villains modest abilities which never take it out of the realm of realism.

It all gets very complicated very quickly though. Kira's the obvious MacGuffin to find, but there’s also the briefcase, so which is it they need, the girl or the briefcase? This question is continually shifting, and it’s difficult to keep up. Gant’s elaborate third act plan which includes splitting up his comrades, erasing memories and recommunicating with them via a series of sealed written messages is confusing and too clever for it’s own good.

McGuigan’s cool factor is high octane though. He sets the world in Hong Kong - an exotic place full of rogue nourish characters, a melting pot of cultures, not unlike Casablanca or Blade Runner’s L.A. His colourful and wide-angled design pops right out of the screen and his gung-ho style channels the attitude of Honk Kong cinema influencers like Tsui Hark. Casting Dakota Fanning as the tough as nails driving force of the film is pretty cool as well. At one point she gets stinking drunk off a mickie of hard liquor as a way of improving her clairvoyance. I would have loved to see her brandish two guns John Woo style and kick some ass but unfortunately we're only teased with this possibility - maybe for the sequel.

Oh, and a sequel is coming… there’s just too much story to tell in two hours. A key subplot is not wrapped up, and saved for another chapter of the story. It’s a risky venture. This is what “Jumper” tried to do, but unfortunately its lack of success, means we probably won’t ever see the ending to that film. The heavy marketing to the graphic novel-reading fanboy demographic could turn this into minor little success.

Push | Movie Trailers

MIRRORS

Mirrors (2008) dir. Alexandre Aja
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart

*1/2

Mirrors have always made for great horror film devices. How many dream sequences have we seen involving a nightmare addled protag washing his face in the middle of the night in front of his bathroom mirror only to look up and see a disfigured version of himself? Now Alexandre Aja turns this device into a full fledged evil entity in “Mirrors.” But other than some randomly creepy imagery it’s a paint by numbers thriller which gets more boring and uninteresting as it gets repetitive.

Kiefer plays Ben Carson, a depressed former cop, fired from his job, separated from his wife and kids. Looking to get back on the right path, he gets a gig as a night security guard of a derelict department store, which has been vacant since a fire many years ago. Oops, the store is also haunted with some kind of spirit from within the mirrors. Instead of quitting and looking for a job that doesn't involve being scared to death by ghosts he starts investigating the history of the building and discovers it was a mental hospital before it was a department store. But when the mirrors start terrorizing his family outside of work Ben has to solve the mystery and cure the world of this spirit for the betterment of his family.

It's easy to see where the idea of this movie came from, and it provides a fun and marketable genre hook. Haunted mirrors has never been done for, that's for sure. But what should be a simple haunted house "Shining" knock off, goes awry after the first act.

It starts to suffer when 'rules' and 'logic' of the ghosts become hard follow (yes, no matter how fantastical a story, there has to be hard rules). The mirrors are omniscient and can do anything to Kiefer at will, whether its setting him on fire, cutting his skin or just scaring him at random wherever he is. To the detriment of the suspense Aja quickly opens up the story to outside the store - any mirror in the world is an enemy of Kiefer’s. So any creepy claustrophobia, isolating character drama the film establishes is discarded for a lame Scooby Doo, Hardy Boys potboiler mystery. And as with this type of story we get a number of lengthy and laboured verbose dialogue scenes explaining the history of the ghost, it’s motivations and intentions.

It gets worse when in the third act it turns into an action film. This is the same problem with Mikael Hafstrom’s “1408”, heavy on the physical action and discarding the deep psychology of horror.

Aja’s look is also overly designed. The burned out department store is so dark and grimy it could be any old space. The ubiquitous flickering fluorescent light bulbs make it indistinct from the décor of the Saw movies. I couldn’t help but think how the film would have played in full light in a recognizable store – something more like “The Shining" or Brad Anderson's "Session 9". And what he could have done with those eerie old mannequins goes unrealized (maybe that's another horror film - "Mannequins"?!).

I have to give points to Aja for his denouement though. I won't spoil anything here, but it’s really really cool, unfortunately it doesn’t broaden our understanding of the story or Kiefer’s character, like the whole movie, it’s just a really good tease.

"Mirrors" is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Mirrors Movie Trailers

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

Secret Life of Bees (2008) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Sophie Okenedo, Alicia Keys

*1/2

Sue Monk Kidd's novel “The Secret Life of Bees”, the story of a young white girl's coming of age in the racially segregated South, when adapted for the screen suffers from that familiar righteous preciousness of films like “The Great Debaters” and “Pride”.  It’s all an intensive two-hour effort to inspire us with impossibly profound heroic libertarian characters and triumphant soul healing.

Director Prince-Blythewood paints a John Irving-like fantasy world of Southern charm and idealistic fancy. I guess they call it ‘feel-good-filmmaking’ - to the extreme. It’s the 1960’s in the South and Dakota Fanning plays Lily the motherless daughter of a spiteful violent bigoted father (surprise casting of Paul Bettany!). One day she just can’t take the abuse any longer and runs away with her housekeeper Rosealeen (Jennifer Hudson).

They knock on the door of a family of three black beekeeper sisters and ask to be taken in and taken care of. Miraculously they have room and oblige. As Lily gets to know her new family, we get to feel the laughter and tears of this earnest bunch amid the troubled times of racial segregation in the south.

Of course we get the requisite metaphors of life to those ‘independently-minded' bees 'wanting the leave the nest'. It's on the nose and sickening earnest. As Ms. Latifah says “Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about” – just like Lily. 

The interracial romance with Lily and Zach is telegraphed with no subtly. When the handsome young Tristan Wilds appears on screen we know we’re going to see Dakota Fanning’s first on screen kiss – can’t wait!

Dakota Fanning is the saving grace of the picture. With each new role we see maturity and confidence that she’ll soon become an A-list actress when she officially grows up. Sophie Okonedo's clichéd slow-witted sister role is simply excruciating and unwatchable. She spends most of her screen time gawking with her mouth open or about to cry. Queen Latifah is well... Queen Latifah, the mother hen of everyone. The same role she plays in every film. And Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson simply seem out of place.

The pop acoustic montage cues feels out of place as well, too contemporary and distracting from the 60’s setting. There’s certainly a plethora of lovely pictures. Most of the film is bathed in golden magic hour sunlight congruent with the tenderness of the material.

Perhaps I’m not the audience for this type of film, but at least “The Great Debaters” had some characters with a degree of edge. Everyone in “The Secret Life of Bees” are as soft and cushy as a fluffy feather pillow.

"The Secret Life of Bees" is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

The Secret Life of Bees | Movie Trailers

AKA CASSIUS CLAY

AKA Cassius Clay (1970) dir. Jim Jacobs
Documentary

**1/2

In time with Black History Month, MGM has re-released this very peculiar 1970 documentary on Mohammed Ali. It was made during the time when Ali was unable to box due to his refusal to go to Vietnam, and so we get see a unique perspective of this great athlete and influential cultural figure at the midway point in his career. Some silly psychedelic experimental techniques briefly marr an insightful and valuable timecapsule of this first half of Ali's life.

Richard Kiley narrates the career of the talented boxer from his early childhood, his Olympic glory, his reign as Champion as Cassius Clay, his conversion to Islam, his outspoken political life and to his banishment from sanctioned boxing. Intercut with the neatly assembled archival footage is a fun conversation between Ali and his manager Cus D'Amato discussing the history of the sport, and with humour analyzing his former opponents and poking fun at themselves. The build up to Ali’s famous battle with Sonny Liston now matter how many times we hear is still one of the most thrilling moments in sport. One of the interesting explorations is Ali’s preparation and analysis of his fighting style which included studying the famous Sugar Ray Robinson/Jake La Motta fight.

Documentaries have come a long way since 1970. The opening credit sequence is especially awkward. An atrocious funky music cue runs behind poorly edited series of still photos of Ali. The structural and technical sloppiness in comparison to the polish of docs we see today makes a startling contrast.

But with the technical aside, the archival footage says it all and Ali’s charisma carries the picture. No matter what Ali's says he’s magnetic. We get to see plenty of his wild press conferences and speeches - often waxing poetically, often rambling in a kind of 'speaking in tongues' sermon style. While we now revere Ali’s career its interesting listening the divise reactions to Ali’a bold confidence.

Kiley's narration is written with the verbage of a journalist. It feels dated and tells us explicitly what could be implied by the imagery, but he makes some insightful conclusions about Ali's personality and his responsibility to his religion and to African-Americans.

"Aka Cassius Clay" is a treasure for boxing fans. And even more so, knowing that his best days were in front of him and that neither the filmmakers nor Ali know it yet.

"Aka Cassius Clay" is available on DVD from MGM Home Entertainment

FROZEN RIVER

Frozen River (2008) dir. Courtney Hunt
Starring: Melissa Leo

***

One of the big surprises from the Oscar nominations are two high profile nominations (Best Actress, Melissa Leo and Best Original Screenplay, Courtney Hunt) for some little film most have never heard of before, “Frozen River”.

“Frozen River” was the Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance last year, a small release later that year barely made a dent in the public consciousness. But those critics who raved about the film a year ago never forgot it for their year end best of lists.

It’s a sharply written story of depressed low income America. We're in upstate New York near the Canadian border. It’s winter and Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) is at the lowest point of her life. Her husband and father to her two kids (5 and 15) has taken their new home's downpayment and buggered off to gamble it all away. Ray is penniless with a deadend job, feeding her kids popcorn and tang for dinner. She scours the frozen lands for her husband’s car which if sold could help get her that house. The car is in the company of a young Mohawk girl Lila (Misty Upham) who makes money delivering illegal aliens through the unregulated Mohawk reservation border.

With no other options Ray joins Lila in a number of border runs delivering immigrants in her trunk for cash. Eventually the authorities catch up to her which forces Ray to make lifechanging decisions for the betterment of her family.

It’s no surprise the film didn’t find an audience. It’s dreary and depressing, one of those ‘feel-bad’ movies which leaves you utterly depressed when it’s over. But there’s certainly a place for these kinds of films, and I freely admit I like to be beaten down in the cinema every once in a while (I am a fan of Lars Von Trier after all). The two strengths of the film indeed are it's star Melissa Leo and the screenplay. Hunt examines the character of a desperate mother who has to put food on her table at all costs, and shapes the character through a series of morally questionable trials. At times it feels like a noir, an average Jane character tempted by an innocent crime and a narrative driven by her reactions to the changes in her circumstances. It's also a film about the unlikely developing friendship between Lilo and Ray and the loyalty they earn from each other.

Director Hunt recognizes the power of Melissa Leo’s coarse face and internalized emotions. The opening shot tells us what kind of a film this is with a lingering close-up of Leo’s face, without make-up, dirty fingernails, yellowing teeth, smoking a cigarette. Ray’s character holds all the weight of the film and Leo delivers a deserving Oscar-nominated performance. Unfortunately the film is let down by most of everyone else in the film. And it's an almost insurmountable crutch. Many of the supporting actors feel like they’re just about to look into the camera by accident. When we're supposed to be deeply involved in Ray's journey we're continually distracted by bad acting.

The film is also short on some of its internal logic. Ray’s money situation seems solvable considering she owns two cars. The portrayal of the immigrants who cross the border are props more than characters and are uninvolved in any decision making. At one point a Pakistani couple get into the trunk of Ray’s car. Ray’s throws away their duffle bag, without even looking in it. Of course there’s something vital which belongs to the couple, something which realistically they would never have let Ray touch let alone throw away in the first place.

It’s inconsistencies like these which often overshadow Leo’s performance, which in the end is Oscar-worthy. Though smart money should still be on Meryl Streep, the mere fact Leo is even in the company of high-priced Hollywood talent like Streep, Jolie, Winslet etc is a minor miracle and a win for all independent films. 

“Frozen River” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on Feb 10

Frozen River | Movie Trailers

ZODIAC DIR CUT (BLU-RAY)

Zodiac Dir Cut (2007) dir. David Fincher
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chloe Sevigny

****

David Fincher's films are what high definition was made for. His high contrast underlit dark images barely held together on standard DVD, but now with the wide contrast range of the high resolution format the film can fully be experienced in all it's pristine glory.

"Zodiac" in standard definition is a frustrating experience. The opening scene takes place at night as we see the tragic first victims of the Zodiac's rampage of terror. In standard definition I found myself struggling with the contrast, brightness, and colour settings in order to see everything in this scene. As well, in standard def, Fincher's green tint seems to get amplified to gross levels on a plasma screen. Yuck.

And now with the release of Paramount's BLU-RAY version of the film, "Zodiac" can be viewed properly. It comes in the form of a 'director's cut'. Unfortunately after watching the cut, I didn't notice anything new in the film. I guess that's a good thing, because there was absolutely nothing wrong with the film in the first place. The best new addition is a conference call between Ruffalo and Edwards' characters and the District Attorney pleading for a search warrant for Arthur Leigh Allen's trailer. The scene reinforces the desperate frustration the characters feel in catching their killer.

The two lengthy documentaries fulfill the technical and historical backstories to the story. The making of documentary is told by the producer and writer of the film in an Errol Morris-style point of view against a white background. Unfortunately we never see Fincher discussing his film (you have to click on the audio commentary for that). Instead, Fincher's methods of madness are discussed at large by everyone involved in the film. Everyone gets their shot. The anecdotes of his obsessive pursuit of perfection are enjoyable, specifically Gyllenhaal's description of some 40-odd takes to catch a non-descript close-up cutaway of a book on the seat of his car - the kind of obsession that approaches Kubrickian heights.

The scene-by-scene analysis of the special effects are fascinating. A few of the effects clearly stand out as computer generated, but others, such as the crime scene after the taxi-cab murder is completely invisible - which showcases some more Fincher's at-all-costs approach to achieving his vision.

It's hard not to think of the similarities between Fincher and Robert Graysmith. The obsessions of Graysmith which resulted in two masterpieces of true crime is matched only by the meticulous detail Fincher applied in making his own masterpiece. And in High Definition the elements of the puzzle fit together for all to see in an obsessively perfect pristine picture. Enjoy.

MAX PAYNE

Max Payne (2008) dir. John Moore
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis,

**

Another video game adaptation to be disappointed in. John Moore’s adaptation of the popular and acclaimed first person killing machine narrative game of the same name tells the story of an ex-cop seeking revenge for the unsolved murder of his wife. A revenge flick based on a video game should be license to go hog wild and splatter us with cine carnage, blood, and other irresponsible behaviour. Unfortunately it fails to stimulate us enough to tolerate its slow and quiet pace.

Mark Wahlberg is Max Payne, a depressed cop whose wife was killed six months ago in a botched robbery. Now he spends his days as a file clerk for the cold case files. On the side though he’s still scouring the city for revenge. A lead takes him into the dark NYC underworld of drugs and prostitution. He hooks up with the sister (Mila Kunis) of a murdered junkie prostitute and together they solve the case and get revenge together.

Robert Rodriguez got it right with “Sin City” (I know, that was a graphic novel), but Moore never takes it to that level of entertainment. Moore attempts to do his ‘Sin City’ thing. The look, a sharp de-saturated expressionistic look feels like the same Frank Miller world. Even his quiet dialogue and sometime noiseless world feels like the same fantasy world of graphic novel noir.

The action scenes are choreographed with the same locked off storyboarded style of the Wachowski Bros. While it’s refreshing to see a classic technique in favour of over used handheld chaos, there just isn’t enough carnage or bloodshed. Moore shoots some nice super-slo-mo bullet shots, and shotgun blasts but he needed to add an exponential digit to it all to truly stimulate us.

The best part of Max Payne are the wonderfully realized ‘angels and demons’ which haunt the head-tripping minds of the Valkyr druggies. Anyone who takes this new street drug feels a sense of invulnerability but who become haunted and chased down by demonic Wagneresque winged beasts. It provides a number of wonderfully gothic individual images.

Beau Bridges is simply terrible and miscast as Payne pal....(beware SPOILERS)… and of course nemesis. At the second act turn his malfeasance is revealed in a eye-rolling confession just before Payne is dumped into the river to die.

Despite all this Payne was a considerable success. Moore does the most with a meager $35million budget, grossing almost $85million in North America. The Blu-Ray disc now released offers a fine making of documentary, one of the better ones in recent memory. We get to see the bombastic John Milius lookalike Moore directing the film with a fun fuck-the-world of archaic attititude. If Moore’s energy were applied to a decent script (not, “The Omen” remake, or “Flight of the Phoenix” remake) we just might discover a bright and talented director.

“Max Payne” is available on Blu-Ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment