notarepublican Reviews

Breakfast on Pluto (2005)

If the protagonist doesn't take him/herself seriously, why should we...

[6/10 · 9 January 2006]

I was very disappointed in "Breakfast on Pluto." The film starts out promisingly enough, particularly with the all too quickly abandoned device of the gossiping robins who provide some narrative exposition. Patrick's speculative fantasy about his conception also suggests that the fantastic will continue to play a role in his/her respective adventures, but again, this fades all too quickly. Eventually, his/her constant refrain of "serious, serious, serious," become hard to take in light of the circumstances he/she comes to face.

It's hard to develop any real sympathy for Patrick/Patricia Kitten. Even when we learn the source of his/her private pain, it comes so long after he/she has already been established as vain-glorious and thoroughly self-involved that it's truly hard to care.

This is on top of the fact that besides being abandoned at birth, he/she seems to have been raised in a household whose sole restriction was that he/she not serve as a public embarrassment. While we might retrospectively recognize that his adopted mother's admonition that he repeat "I am not a girl" while roughly brushing him was not the most healthy response to his early trans-gender experimentation, the film offers little other reason for the audience to understand why Patrick was so rude to his adopted mother and sister.

The movie's truly "serious" moments show some promise, as the acting is quite good (Gavin Friday and Liam Neeson are standouts)and the situations truly serious, but it's hard to care when Patrick/Patricia's concern about these situations is so fleeting.

Some moments do stand out, particularly the scene in the abortion clinic and Fr. Benard's confession to Patrick/Patricia in the peepshow, but the rest of the film's most potentially poignant moments are cut short by the lead character's refusal to recognize the gravity of the situations in which he/she finds him/herself.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

A Classic...

[9/10 · 21 October 2004]

The first time I caught this film, it was actually playing on TV one Halloween weekend in Southern California, probably sometime in the late 80s, early 90s. I was shocked, as I never anticipated I would be able to watch the film as it rarely played anywhere. The title alone was enough to initially keep me away as I couldn't imagine anything as gruesome as a killer wielding a chainsaw against his unsuspecting victims. What surprised me most was the realism added by the grainy footage and the quasi-Method performances. I should note that at this time I still clung to the belief that this film was in fact based on a true story (a belief to which many who watched it still adhere).

This film has everything that was right about American horror cinema in the 1970s. Marilyn Burns is absolutely brilliant, I don't think I've ever seen a female protagonist in this or any film since that conveyed her sense of absolute terror and dread. Before the horror cliché of the empowered female victim became widespread, Burns plays an infinitely more realistic variant, fighting and running not so much to defeat Leatherface and his kin as to simply escape with her life. And I can't remember any scene in any film as dreadful as the one in which the family assists Grandpa in attempting to brain her. That so little actual graphic violence is ever actually depicted speaks volumes of the films successfully twisted mood and direction.

Having lived in Texas for some time now, there is an added dimension of realism. Some isolated highways in this state (of which there are several) have several houses and service stations that resemble the ones featured in this movie. In particular, the drive between Houston and Austin via the 21 and 290 and the drive from Waco to Houston via the 6 and 290 are all too eerily familiar. Having made that drive many a night, I always made certain I had enough gas to drive through without stopping.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Simply Awesome, Pop and High Culture Seamlessly Combined into a New Cinematic Form

[10/10 · 21 October 2003]

The 70s are often lauded as the era in which American cinema first reached the status of art as a new breed of director/auteur snatched the reins of film making from the old studio system. Lucas and Spielberg and the emergence of the modern blockbuster would mark the end of that era, as the corporatization of the movie industry would reshape the very rationale for filmmaking itself. The work of contemporary directors like Tarantino, Fincher, Smith, Favreau, etc. may now be categorized as a new cinematic form, one that self-consciously reflects an appreciation for film in all of its varied manifestations. While Coppola, et al honed their craft under Corman, their later work abandoned the simple forms of exploitation cinema. Tarantino, more than any of his contemporaries, found something to appreciate in all forms, and nowhere is that more evident than in "Kill Bill, Vol. 1." While his previous work embraced 70s film aesthetic, here Tarantino is wearing his heart and influences on his sleeve. "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" is a modern spaghetti western with heavy Asian influences. The film follows the path of revenge taken by a character referred to a both "The Bride" and "Black Mambo," her code name as a member of DiVAS (The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad). The DiVAS are a parallel universe version of Charlie's Angels, a genius conceit through which Tarantino also takes issue with modern cinematic violence. "KBV1" is one of the most violent major American films of all time, but its bloody aesthetic stands in sharp, unsanitized contrast with the modern film versions of "Charlie's Angels", where the protagonists often engage in bloodless unarmed combat, and violence is easily dismissed as something can occur without the benefit of permanent injury if not death. In some sense, the exaggerated gore in "KBV1" serves as a constant reminder that combat is rarely bloodless, and always injures someone, whether physically or spiritually. All this aside, I can't recall a more enjoyable time spent at the movies. The plot is crisp, the acting fantastic, and the action scenes are unbelievable. The back stories are alternately tragic and touching, with O-Ren Ishii origin story and The Bride's encounter with Hattori Hanzo being particular standouts. This is film as it should be, artfully constructed, without drawing attention to the often arbitrary distinctions between high and pop art. This film in particular forever shatters the significance of that distinction.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Good Remake, Better Than Most Current Efforts in the Genre

[8/10 · 15 October 2003]

I had the fortune to catch the remake of TCM in Austin during its premiere screening. Remakes are a difficult genre to assess. A good argument can be made for assessing the film on its own merits, but there are things about remakes that beg you to compare them to their original source material.

This film almost presumes that the audience is deeply familiar with Hooper's 1974 classic and rather than immediately disappoint them with a contemporary rehashing of the original Hooper and Henkel script, the film is cleverly reimagined using a narrative device familiar to those who have seen "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" (oddly enough, a sequel to a contemporary horror film that seems deeply inspired by the original TCM). In "BOS: BWII," the story is alleged to be a reconstruction of events from a true crime by devotees of the original "Blair Witch Project," albeit it with a supernatural twist that the jury refused to consider during the subsequent trials of those involved in the crime.

In the 2003 version of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," the new film's prologue and epilogue continue the original TCM's promotional propaganda that the film is based on actual events (a claim which all too many people confuse with the true story of Wisconsin's Ed Gein, whose real story only provided very rough inspiration for Hooper) but then suggests that because much of the official record has been sealed until now that this is the first legitimate retelling of the events that occurred (the first film presumably having been based on a rough and unofficial recounting of the same events, thus the differences in the stories).

The film, in keeping with the rather grim tone of the original, also dispenses with much of the baggage that had accompanied the various TCM sequels (most notably, the family's name is Hewitt rather than the too cute to be clever "Sawyer"). But there are others things missing. The protagonists here look like refugees from the WB (no surprise given that 3 of them have played prominent roles in recent WB series) and the Hewitt clan often comes off as little more than bad Southern stereotypes (although R. Lee Ermey stands out from the rest of the cast in this regard in a nicely twisted role).

The exact motivation of Leatherface and company here is also unclear, versus the more perverse allusions to their cannibalism in the original version (they might be cannibals, or just plain sadists). The sense of dread created when the Texas clan was prepared to allow Grandpa to brain Sally Hardesty is missing here, with Leatherface, at times, coming off as little more than a typical movie slasher, albeit one with a chainsaw rather than a machete or a butcher knife.

Still, the cinematography is outstanding, capturing the beauty and desolation that is the Texas countryside. There is also great work with lighting (Hoyt's scene with Morgan in the van looks awesome as does the dankness of the Hewitt basement). The initial introduction to the protagonists and the disruption of their "idyllic" day is also very well done. Given the lacksadaisical efforts put out by other studios in this genre, the producers and director here really seem to have made a game effort and should be applauded for doing so.

The Eye (2002)

Decent and Stylish, But Never Truly Terrifying

[7/10 · 19 August 2003]

The Eye is a good film, but it drags on occasion and never really delivers on some of the frights that it suggests. Perhaps the difference is a cultural one, although the film does suggest that Asian cultures are much more adept at dealing with death than those cultures in the West.

When protagonist Mun's neighbor continually asks for his report card, or even eats the ceremonial candles that his family has burned in his memory, it comes off less haunting and more like the actions of a goofy middle schooler, as does the strange tongue flicking of a woman who comes back to haunt her husband's food stand.

And the ending seems extremely contrived, bearing more than a passing resemblance to the conclusion of "The Mothman Prophecies. Stylish and aesthetically rich, The Eye is but another in the recent trend toward visual horror at the expense of truly frightening content.

Cabin Fever (2002)

A Great Genre Effort, Think "Evil Dead" meets "Outbreak"

[9/10 · 19 August 2003]

I was lucky enough to catch this last year at the Alamo Drafthouse's 1st Annual Dusk Till Dawn Horror Show. Not sure if the film has been edited any, but the original ending is outstanding and really unconventional (and compensates for what I would have earlier deemed unnecessarily objectionable content). The performances are outstanding, particularly Rider Strong (who has come a long way from "Boy Meets World"), with other standouts including Cerina Vincent, in a role that redefines the often stereotypical "bimbo" persona (her character, Marcy, is both sexually aggressive and likely the smartest among the film's protagonists), Joey Kern, in another redefined archtypcal role (group leader turned coward, showing the same comic skill he demonstrated in Broken Lizard's "Super Troopers") and James DeBello and Giuseppe Andrews making most of the audience forget their earlier roles in the regrettable "Detroit Rock City."

Alternately scary (what wouldn't be with an original Badalamenti, assisted by Nathan Barr, score) and funny with outrageous gore effects rivaling earlier work by Sam Raimi in the "Evil Dead" Trilogy and Peter Jackson in his earlier work (pre-"Frighteners). You'll never look at bottled water the same way again.

Don't miss this.

Feardotcom (2002)

A bad movie with fantastic images

[4/10 · 17 June 2003]

Some spoilers below...

I can't even recommend this as a late night "so bad it's good" rental. The plot is so clearly lifted from Ringu (web users die within 48 hours of visiting a haunted website and are confronted by a ghostly girl shortly before their demise) that I'm shocked that no one was ever sued. And that which is not directly lifted from elsewhere is pretty terrible, as the leads (Dorff and McElhone) seem joined together by the thinnest of premises and then become romantically entangled in ways that would strain the credibility of even the worst Lifetime movie.

When I learned that it was Stephen Rea as the evil "Doctor," I was even more shocked as his work here was rather pedestrian. The link between the "website" and the Doctor is even more confused and bewildering, as though the screen writer couldn't make up their mind as to how they were connected, or why the vengeful apparition would kill those who helped her through her own supernatural prowess but somehow was incapable of getting to the Doctor on her own.

Only a few things are really worthwhile here. First, genre legend Jeffrey Combs is great as Dorff's partner (although the way that his character is killed off also strains temporal credibility as the Doctor is somehow able to kill him before the other characters arrive, even though Dorff phones Combs while Combs is firmly ensconced in a bar playing poker and Dorff and McElhone are already en route to the Doctor's lair. Second is the camera work. Some of these images are indeed scary, but placed within the context of the movie, they did little to inspire fright, but might serve as a decent sample tape for someone seeking work on a Marilyn Manson or Nine Inch Nails video.

Still, avoid if possible...

X2 (2003)

Great...The Marvel Universe has never been better captured...

[9/10 · 17 June 2003]

X2 is, in many ways, the movie X-Men could have been but wasn't. The story is crisp and very well-paced (at about 2 and a quarter hours running time, the film just seems to fly by). The characters seem much better developed, and the acting is much better than typical genre fare.

That Hugh Jackman is becoming a huge star should come as no surprise with his work here. And McKellen (his interactions with Romijn-Stamos and Stanford are absolutely priceless) and Stewart are even better than before, with Brian Cox a more than welcome addition to the cast. Alan Cumming makes Nightcrawler more real than I would have hoped and even Halle Berry adds much more depth than she had been previously permitted(in a role likely beefed up after her Oscar). Although Raimi's "Spiderman" came closer to achieving the feeling of that particular character, X2 is perhaps the best embodiment of the Marvel Universe put on film.

The ending actually had me light up with glee at the mere suggestion of something lurking beneath the surface of Lake Alkali. Never has a film made the world of the fanboy more accessible and admirable than X2.

Daredevil (2003)

A major disappointment...

[6/10 · 17 June 2003]

This film has much going for it...Great source material, a better than expected cast, some very good fight choreography. But it seems to lack a great deal of the heart that made so many of the other recent Marvel films translate so well. The Marvel characters, particularly Daredevil, succeeded because they were beset by many of the problems that beset regular folks. Romantic problems, job-related stress, family crises, these were the things that Marvel's heroes possessed in common with the rest of humanity. Johnson's Daredevil is not a man with out problems, to be sure, but some much of his world seems so fantastic as to defeat the commonality of those problems or even the nature of the world in which Matt Murdock lives.

I think there is really only one moment that ever overcomes this, and it's easily forgotten. It's the moment shared by Foggy and Matt in their usual morning coffee shop. Not the moment where Matt meets Elektra, but the one that occurs at the end of the movie. The shared empathy and repartee that occurs here is far more real and resonant than anything else in the movie. Other things don't work so well. For example:

Nelson and Murdock have a private practice, so why are they representing a woman against her alleged rapist? When are private attorneys ever hired by the state as prosecutors? As far as I know, the only instance when this happened was in the case of Sunny Von Bulow, when a private prosecutor was retained to prosecute Claus, a move that so defied conventional legal practice that it was vigorously opposed by defense council. And if the defense attorney in Daredevil is to be believed, where would such a woman obtain the resources, let alone the political clout, to hire Nelson and Murdock? And if she could, why hire such an otherwise down and out firm?

Murdock's abilities are explained as the product of his new sensory ability, but why would that improve his agility absent some sort of training. At least in Frank Miller's revised version of the Daredevil origin, it is explained that he received some training in the mystic martial arts, but here, he has the accident, then within days (as he is still played by the same actor who has not been aged by dint of effects or reference) is whooping on AJ Soprano and his gang of punks. Where did that come from?

What of the plea from Bullseye to Fisk for a costume? That seems misplaced, as though it should have been on the cutting room floor if there was no follow through.

Other problems include casting. While many complained about a black man portraying the Kingpin of Crime, I take less issue with it. I do believe that Michael Clarke Duncan seems miscast as there is very little that ever seems genuinely menacing about him. Ving Rhames could have played the role and done so much better. And why would the Kingpin know the impact of sound on Murdock? And where were the rest of his cronies?

This films sometimes seems rushed and trapped between the world of light and dark. A much darker movie could have been made while retaining lighter elements for occasional relief, but the rock score, combined with the over the top performance by Colin Farrell and the lack of a threat that seems posed by Elektra combine for a weird amalgam of light grey rather than dark. Favreau is pretty good, but some of his oafishness could have been toned down (as in the closing scene) while still retaining some sense of comic relief. Seeing more of Ellen Pompeo's Karen Page (she ought to be a huge name within the next few years) would have also helped to humanize Murdock.

Worth it if you're already a fan of the genre, but otherwise avoidable.

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Modern, and Misunderstood, Classic

[9/10 · 17 June 2003]

While the movie is more apt to be recalled for its impact on American pop culture, few who watch the movie will ever see beyond the admittedly fantastic dance sequences. As a result, many people might never recognize Saturday Night Fever as perhaps one of the best movies ever made about class struggles among white ethnics.

While his quick study under Denny Terrio for those dance sequences showed a great deal of determination, Travolta's Tony Manero shines in so many other way. The looks of embarrassment and exasperation that his character expresses when confronted with the possibility of working in a Bay Ridge paint store all of his life, or the prejudice and regional chauvinism of his friends, or the behavior of his friends at White Castle or his initial inability to express himself to Stephanie in any way that might impress her, all of these and more contribute to a fully realized character.

While Tony's friends idolize him, the movie never really does, but it does allow empathy for his plight, because even Tony realizes that he is virtually trapped by the current conditions of his existence. While much might be made of the homophobia, racism, and misogyny of the protagonist and his friends, these things are never excused and the movie goes to some lengths to express Tony's own recognition that these are shortcomings in not only his character, but those borne of a provincial mentality which he desperately longs to escape.

Forget those who call this a musical. While the music is an intricate part of the film and setting, Travolta's performance is what sets this film apart.

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Could Have Been a Contender

[7/10 · 14 April 2003]

This movie had so much promise...with a few editing changes, it could be truly great. That said, the last half hour almost makes up for the rest of the movie, with great visuals and excellent pacing...The movie becomes relentless, with false ending upon false ending, a twisted "Alice in Wonderland" that provides genuine chills...But that first hour, tsk, tsk, tsk...

The soundtrack is occasionally grating and some of the performances are so over the top that they render the story too ridiculous to be plausible, and while this is a genre film, plausibility is almost always essential, to some degree, for a horror film to provide legit fright..."The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is frightening because we've all seen hitchhikers, we've all taken drives in the country (and if you live in central Texas, you know how much all of those little houses on the two lane highways look like they could house Leatherface and kin)...But the more often we're exposed to actors wearing elaborate costumes and make-up, in fairly well-lit conditions, acting like cartoon characters, the less apt we are to perceive them as frightening...And when action is accompanied by an aggressive soundtrack that overwhelms that action without accentuating it, much is also lost (a good example is Hermann's score in Psycho, which is loud and intense, but never really overwhelms the action...If you recall the infamous shower seen, the music doesn't really start until "Mother" Bates opens the shower curtain).

Zombie borrows a lot from TCM, but more surprisingly, he also borrows substantially from DePalma's editing style, with split screens and color. At its most excessive, the film's editing also resembles Stone's "Natural Born Killers" (Stone's work on that film also seems inspired by DePalma, no surprise given their connection via "Scarface").

Still, the last half hour makes up for a lot...

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

Deceptively Clever Sequel

[24 March 2003]

I was initially quite disappointed with Book of Shadows, but time has softened my stance considerably. As a horror film, it's largely a failure, but in retrospect, I'm not exactly sure that that's what this is. I don't think either of the Blair Witch films operates on its own merits, but when viewed in conjunction with promotional films like "Curse of the Blair Witch" and "The Burkittsville Seven" they shape a rich mythical horror tapestry.

Think of it like this: The Blair Witch Project is a movie that purports to reflect a real situation. It is supposed to be real, the retrieved footage from a documentary shoot gone horrifically awry, a sort of "Faces of Death" style exploitation film.

If you expect the same from Book of Shadows, you are only set up for disappointment. It is trying to be something else entirely. In the Blair Witch mythos, the BWP was not a recreation, but actual footage. In the world of BWII, Book of Shadows is a recreation of events that occured from the perspective of those who alleged to have lived them. It is a docudrama about murderers told from their perspective. And in this case, their story attempts to explain their murderous rampage as the product of unseen forces rather than their own machinations. It is not a horror movie, but rather a faux version of a serial killer docudrama told from the serial killer's perspective. If BWP borrow's heavily from "In Search Of," "BOS:BWII" is more like the "Amityville Horror." Watch it alongside the Burkittsville Seven and it makes that much more sense.

Essentially, the BWII takes the perspective that Rustin Parr was indeed guided by voices in his head, one that the faux documentary Burkittsville Seven challenges. Still not the most compelling movie, but more fun and original than most give it credit for.

Willard (2003)

A Clever, Creepy Remake...Better Than the Original

[7/10 · 17 March 2003]

I must confess, I've been eager to watch this movie since I first heard it was in development. I saw the original as part of Elvira's "Movie Macabre" as a kid (easily my favorite TV show). My parents had been fans, and I must confess, for its time it was quite good.

The idea of a sequel in which Ben, the killer rat, was befriended by a child, featuring a schmaltzy song by a young Michael Jackson always struck me as ludicrous. But a remake, starring Crispin Glover? That casting made it a must see.

The remake features some other clever casting choices, most notably Bruce Davison, the original Willard, feautured as Charles Stiles, Willard's late father. And rather than being feautured in flashback, he appears in a portrait and older photos. Not to take away from his earlier performance, but Glover comes off much better than Davison ever did, seeming authentically lonesome and desperate.

The visuals are much better. While not always a fan of his work, this movie, in many ways, seems to have taken much inspiration from the work of Tim Burton, complete with dark, neo-gothic sets (The Stiles home is a scarier Bates residence, while Willard's workplace sometimes come off like a Dickens as interpreted by Poe), and a score that almost seems cribbed from Danny Elfman's work on Burton's films.

The film also has a better resolution. Whereas Sondra Locke's female lead in the 1971 original seemed to have some legitimate potential interest in Davison's Willard, Laura Harring's Cat just seems to sympathize with him.

Combine all of the above with the most darkly clever use of Michael Jackson's "Ben" that could be imagined (I'm sure, if he's seen the film, he probably doesn't appreciate it).

I Shout Love (2001)

Stalkers and Psychotic Exes Rejoice: THIS FILM IS FOR YOU

[3/10 · 11 March 2003]

This film seems well made, and more efforts should be made to promote films by women. That aside, this film is also profoundly disturbing in that it justifies the manipulative and psychotic machinations of a character that is profoundly disturbed. If you've seen any of the promotional material, you might think this is a poignant film about a relationship that's reached its end, but none of that suggests how really disturbing the central premise is:

A woman threatens suicide unless her soon to be ex agrees to relive here most treasured memories of their relationship. When told how unfair (to say the least) that such a threat is, Tessa (the purported protagonist) suggests that "life's not fair."

Huh??? This character also uses tears to manipulate her former lover into staying, and coaxes him into sexually oriented behavior (which she initially denies as a motive) all the while assuring him "this isn't sex."

Reverse the genders, have the leads played by Tracey Gold and Brian Austin-Green and this could air in feature length on Lifetime with a title like "Hostage to Obsession." There is no medically accepted definition of sound mental and emotional stability that would encompass Tessa's behavior in this film.

Props to Kristen Thomson for playing a border-line psychotic, manipulative ex to a T, perhaps too well because there is no well-adjusted person, male or female, who could watch this and not have shivers run up their spine.