Review - The Conjuring

At the Theater - "The Conjuring" - Amongst a myriad of ideas and creepy little events in this Ghost Story/Possession Account, I can only think of one that I hadn't seen some variation of before. The difference between this film and a hundred others of this nature is that it's all put together so considerably well- the Direction is commendably solid, the script is intelligent and the acting is surprisingly good. Most of those little nits to pick are taken care of- most importantly, the film features a logistically sound ending. That "From the Director of Saw and Insidious" disclaimer usually marks the death knell in regards to whether or not I'm interested in a current Horror release, but Director James Wan (Saw, Death Sentence, Insidious, Dead Silence) finally pulls a quality movie out of his ass. Be forewarned- there's several super-spooky moments and a ton of jump scares... I found myself conscientious of the distance between my chompers, so as not to accidentally clack them together when something flashed onscreen. 

Set in Rhode Island circa 1971 and promoted as yet another "based on a true story" event, The Conjuring features Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) and Vera Farmiga (The Departed) as real-life paranormal investigators "Ed & Lorraine Warren."  After an opening segment in which the supernatural troubleshooters lecture at a local college and recollect their recent experience with a demonic doll, the duo are shortly contacted by a family desperate for help.

Ron Livingston (Office Space) and Lili Taylor (Say Anything), playing "Roger" & "Carolyn Perron", are a couple who move into a dilapidated farm house with their five daughters looking for a quieter, simpler lifestyle in the country.  Unbeknownst to the family, the property was once owned by a murderous Witch with a history of ill-will towards children- of course, weird shit starts happening rather quickly.

The cast is solid across the board with everyone putting in good to very good work- though I will admit to being at a loss when considering a standout.  Shannon Kook, as a technical assistant to the Warrens, is a talent new to me, while John Brotherton (ABC's One Life To Live) portrays a local Police Officer who (refreshingly) sticks around as a sort of official witness to the proceedings.  Joey King (Oz The Great And Powerful),  Mackenzie Foy (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 1 & 2), Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland (FOX's Lie To Me) and newcomer Kyla Deaver round out the Perron daughters.

Expect a complete checklist of obligatory haunted house/possession film tropes; with the aforementioned super-creepy doll, a hidden basement with lighting issues, mysterious bruises, a tension-filled peak under a bed, an apprehensive (and ill-fated) family pet, a bouncing ball coming from a darkened corner, a possessed individual vomiting blood, etc.,- yet damned near every familiar moment is tied together with detailed care and an unusual understanding of what works and why.  Some people bitch about cliches, but I've seen way too many movies to concede that familiarity is the biggest problem with most horror films- it's the lack of logic (dumb characters doing stupid things) and respect for the subject matter which trips up most entries in the genre.  This film is one of the rare exceptions to the rule. I'll give most of the credit to sibling screen-writers, Chad & Carey Hayes, with Wan supplying his creep factor talents as a sort of icing on their cake, so to speak.  It's a well-written tale helmed by a Director who's clearly in his comfort zone.

I'm a bit of a ruffian whenever haunted house stories cross my path; I'm always wondering, "Why don't they leave, or just get out and burn the fucker down?"  Those particular questions/options are covered in the narrative and dealt with in an acceptable, though not entirely satisfactory manner.  I do believe that when children are in peril, sane parents would pull out all stops to remove them from harm.  Another issue I did have with this story is the notion that the Warrens kept all of their haunted items and Demonic artifacts in a locked room in their own home...all the while raising a naturally curious, pre-teen Daughter (Sterling Jerins) at the same residence.  Yeah, that's a recipe for disaster... and sequels. 

This is a throwback Horror film and a loving homage, of sorts- it's highly atmospheric and effectively creepy, utilizing a host of old school scare tactics and with only the absolute bare minimum of CGI FX to speak of.  Check it out in a Theater with solid surround sound to make the most of those "things that go bump in the night" moments- and yes, take your sweetie and hold on tight.

8.0 out of 10

Of Note - This is a rated R film which apparently received it's rating due to "Frightening/Intense" scenes- there is no nudity, only a few (relatively) mild curses and very little blood to speak of.  It's the first time that I can recall a movie being rated R only because it's scary...

Review - R.I.P.D.

At the Theater - "R.I.P.D." - Yes, it's a ripoff of the MIB movies and an ungodly awful one at that.  The creature designs regarding the "Deados" (I'm not making this shit up, that's what they're referred to in the film) are laughably uninspired (just plain LAZY) and wholly cartoonish- the effects work regarding the monstrous spirits is even worse.  Ryan Reynolds (Safe House) seems embarrassed throughout the film's run-time while Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski) decides to make the most of a golden opportunity to ham it up- the only thing positive about this film is his scenery-chewing presence and several funny zingers he utters with a western twang. Overall, this $130 million misfire should have debuted on the SyFy channel instead of hitting theaters...

Ryan Reynolds stars as "Nick Walker", a Bostonian Detective who's killed in the line of duty and subsequently drafted into the service of the Rest In Peace Department, an agency of slain police officers who patrol the afterlife for undead spirits.  Walker is partnered up with wild west lawman, "Roy Pulsipher", an 1800's era U.S. Marshall played by Jeff Bridges- there's very little chemistry between the pair to speak of, though I can't recollect any kind of effort from the narrative.  The duo appear amongst the living via human avatars, with character actor James Hong representing Reynolds and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit/Victoria's Secret Model, Marissa Miller representing Bridges. The alternate identities gimmick, much like the entire film, isn't allowed to breathe with such a flippant script and formulaic Direction- I'm not so sure the premise could have separated itself from the Men In Black similarities and comparisons, but this could have gleefully wallowed around in guilty pleasure territory had it not been so painfully undercooked.

I'm indifferent towards Reynolds as an Actor/film presence, though I can't blame him here- he's just not given anything to work with.  I am a big fan of Jeff Bridges and must admit to laughing out loud more than a few times at some of his characters' zany one-liners and snippets of dialogue- Bridges is one of Hollywood's finest Actors, though he never stood a chance with what he's surrounded with here.  Hopefully, 2014's Seventh Son finds Bridges in better company.  If not, the Oscar-winner might want to slow down and become a bit more selective regarding his projects...

Kevin Bacon (Footloose) is once again thrust into a villainous role as the corrupt cop who harbors a predictable secret.  The FX work regarding the true nature of his identity is by far the sharpest in the film, though it bares little weight.

Mary-Louise Parker (Showtime's Weeds) plays the Director of the supernatural agency, with her character having some kind of history with Pulsipher that's, of course, never really fleshed out. A late scene where she gnaws on the Western lawman's goatee is the kind of wild, left-field antic that the film desperately needed more of.

French actress Stephanie Szostak (Iron Man 3) plays Walker's love interest- she's a cutie who's wasted in a paper-thin, obligatory role.  Have you ever stopped to consider just how many flicks in Reynolds's filmography have featured scenes where his respective character was introduced with a scantily clad female in his bedroom?  Could it be some kind of narcissistic stipulation in his contract?

Devin Ratray (Home Alone), Robert Knepper (Wild Thing) and Mike O'Malley (CBS's Yes, Dear) pop up briefly as potential Deado suspects, while actor/comedian Larry Joe Campbell (ABC's According To Jim) makes a bare-bellied appearance as a Police Officer.

Funny thing, the Director of this film, Robert Schwentke, helmed 2010's RED- the sequel of which, RED 2, (Directed by Dean Parisot) arrived in theaters on the same day/weekend.  I'm thinking Schwentke would have been better off staying with the franchise he was familiar with, while Parisot (Galaxy Quest) may have been the better suited to have dealt with R.I.P.D.'s material and tone ...then again, maybe not.  I challenge anyone to search the net and find a quality Deado image lifted from the film- trust me, they're just not out there at his point and with good reason (the creature with several eyes in the trailer is not in the film).  A sequence featuring an entirely CGI-rendered obese man/demon running amok, complete with whale tale (the high-riding panties, that is), won't soon be forgotten.  Halfway through this particular segment of craptasticness, I realized my eyes had glazed over and my jaw had dropped...

I'm aware of but unfamiliar with the Dark Horse Comic from which this film is adapted- that said, I'm positive that an interested party would find more gratifying entertainment value and a far superior experience within it's pages.  There just HAS to be better quality material involved with the comics line to have furnished enough inspiration for a film adaptation. 

As is, R.I.P.D. is an ill-conceived and poorly executed mess- it's the worst theatrically released comic book film of 2013 and, in all likelihood, won't be surpassed as such. Skip it entirely. Universal Studios, you're better than this.


4.0 out of 10

Review - Rust and Bone

On DVD and Blu Ray- "Rust and Bone" - This 2012 French Drama was released stateside earlier this year and it's my current favorite FILM of 2013 (make sense?).  Beautifully Directed and paced by Jacques Audiard (A Prophet), the film features two great character studies for the price of one.  Matthias Schoenaerts (as an MMA obsessed bouncer/security guard with a violent streak) and Marion Cotillard (a killer whale trainer who suffers a life-changing tragedy) co-star as two damaged, complex souls who form an unlikely bond.  The film is refreshingly random, rarely predictable or manipulative and never feels manufactured- it sports a few sequences of simplistic, yet powerful imagery that effectively work to swell the heart.

Some viewers may find it damned near impossible to locate any empathy for Matthias Schoenaerts's (Bullhead) inconsiderate, self-serving, somewhat distant single father, "Ali".  Dreaming of a career as an Ultimate Fighter, with only a passive interest in his young son and prone to sudden displays of unchecked anger, he's just about as flawed a character as one can imagine without being completely unrepentant.  I realized and appreciated the performance as one of the more honest and natural depictions of a decidedly flawed human being in recent memory.  Potential viewers who are able to overcome these flaws and invest in the character will experience one of the more exhilarating, defining moments of redemption in film history.  Schoenaerts gives an exceptional, layered performance here- the Belgian actor, who has range and presence to spare, is definitely a talent to watch and will undoubtedly cross over into more American releases in the near future.

French actress Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies) is equally fascinating as "Stéphanie", a Marine Park entertainer who meets Ali in a nightclub.  Shortly after their chance encounter, Stéphanie loses her legs in a workplace accident that, naturally, leaves her emotionally distraught and thrust into an unaccustomed environment.  Desperate for some semblance of human interaction, and with few to turn to, Stéphanie contacts Ali.  Attracted to the big lug's lack of topical pity and thrilled with watching his underground fighting matches, she slowly begins to cope with her impairment and breaks from her self-imposed prison.  The relationship between these broken souls is realistically handled with depth and care- those looking for some kind of schmaltzy, melodramatic romance will be sorely mistaken.  This is an edgy, uneasy affair, with the principals relying on one another as an instrument of healing, as opposed to simply falling in love.  Cotillard is excellent throughout, giving yet another typically strong performance which effectively reaffirms her place near the very top of her respective craft.  A scene where she revisits her former job and interacts with a killer whale through an aquarium window won't soon be forgotten.  The visual effects work regarding her amputated legs are seamless- I cannot recall sharper FX of this nature.

Director and Co-Scripter Audiard keeps the narrative moving in a wonderful manner, with nary a gimmicky, distracting embellishment to speak of. There are a couple of scenes shot in slow motion, but they fit perfectly with the tone and subject matter of the onscreen situations. Stéphane Fontaine's cinematography is often brutal yet beautiful to look at, with the film's soundtrack containing more than one delightful surprise... even if it does feature a selection from Katy Perry...

If you have an appreciation for Foreign films and are comfortable with subtitles, Rust and Bone comes Highly Recommended.  It's one of the better pure Dramas of the last few years and comfortably rests amongst my all-time favorite foreign films...

9.0 out of 10

Just Because - Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Review - Pacific Rim

At the Theater- "Pacific Rim" - Although it's a bit clunky here and there, with a few too many topical characters and certain situations approaching camp levels, I enjoyed it more than any other live-action, mega-budgeted Giant Mecha vs Giant Monster movie I've ever seen...(yes, that's pretty much by default). The effects and creature designs are top notch, with a cool blend of practical and cgi work, though staging the showdowns in darkness and in the pouring rain (or at the bottom of the ocean) showed some kind of strange lack of faith in the final product. Fleeting scenes in broad daylight which feature the rampaging "Kaiju" (a Japanese word that translates into "strange beast") are sharp, so what's the deal with hiding the showcase matchups in this manner? Most of the little details I went in planning to pick at or question concerning the logic of the concept were covered by Director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Hellboy II, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth) and Screen Writer Travis Beacham, and that's refreshing considering the extremely lazy, loose and plot-hole heavy scripts of 2013's other Summer Blockbusters like Man Of Steel and Iron Man 3.  Pacific Rim isn't a perfect film, but it's fun, grand-style entertainment that's fine for what it sets out to accomplish.

Aussie Actor Charlie Hunnam (FX's Sons of Anarchy) stars as "Raleigh Becket" who, along with his brother, "Yancy" (Diego Klattenhoff), co-pilot the Jaeger (a German word for "hunter") "Gipsy Danger", which represents the good 'ol U.S. of A in the battle against the attacking Kaiju. After a fateful encounter with one of the gigantic beasts, and with the constantly adapting Kaiju thinning the ranks of the Jaegers, a traumatized Raleigh retires from the program.  That retirement is relatively short-lived (at least as far as movie running time is concerned), as Raleigh is coerced back into duty by his once and future commanding officer, "Stacker Pentecost" (played by Idris Elba), to assist in a hail mary assault to destroy the inter-dimensional portal (on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean) which the Kaiju emerge from.

Hunnam is serviceable here- he's considerably better than the last time I saw him as a leading man, with a decidedly clumsy performance in the 2012 film, Deadfall (FWIW- I've never seen an episode of Sons Of Anarchy).  He's still very raw but shows signs of definite progression- I'm sure we'll see Hollywood throw a handful of starring roles his way in the next several years.

British Actor Idris Elba (RocknRolla) might just be the best kept secret as a leading man- once again, he does very well with the material he's given, though I wish there had been more screen-time featuring him.  He has a commanding presence and an inherent charisma which should have found him several more leading roles by now.  Audiences will see him portray Nelson Mandela in 2014's Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, so it's possible that his "ship" will finally arrive... 

Japanese Actress Rinko Kikuchi (The Brothers Bloom) is as cute as ever- her character, "Mako Mori" enters the story as Pentecost's adoptive daughter and protege who's desperate to get a shot as a Jaeger pilot.  As Jaegers require a two-pilot system whose minds are subsequently connected via a neural bridge to share the overwhelming load of operating the complicated war machines, Mako and Raleigh eventually end up as a tandem in battle. There's a hint at a potential love connection between the two that never materializes.  Kikuchi does a solid job with the material and is much more here than just the obligatory female thrown into an Action/Sci-Fi pic for demographic reasons.  She'll next be featured in 2014's 47 Ronin, and I look forward to seeing her again...

Fans will be delighted to see Del Toro regular Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hellboy 2) as a flashy, gold-toothed, black market dealer in Kaiju organs named "Hannibal Choi".  His limited role is spent chewing scenery with flair- I understand it was all in the name of good fun, but I would have liked to have seen his character's "exit" from this film been of a different nature.*  I'm a fan of Perlman and it unfortunately appears that my wishes of a third Hellboy installment are all but dead.

Charlie Day's (FX's It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) Kaiju-obsessed Scientist is effective as the film's embodiment of comic-relief- I haven't cared for his film appearances outside of FX's TV show, yet he's given good material here and isn't annoying.  Burn Gorman (Layer Cake) plays the pasty-faced, tight-wad Scientist thrown into the mix to argue with Day's character.

Max Martini (CBS's The Unit) and Robert Kazinsky (HBO's True Blood) portray the Australian Father/Son co-pilots of the Jaeger, "Striker Eureka" (the sharpest Mecha design, IMO), respectively.   Just about the time a believable, dynamic relationship between the duo is established, the film comes to a close.  Again, I wished there had been more depth in this regard- It's a near-miss, though I understood what the filmmakers were going for.

Clifton Collins Jr. (Extract), sporting a strange Elvis-like 'do, complete with sideburns, plays a Jaeger technician frequenting mission control while Comedian Larry Joe Campbell has a blink and you'll miss it cameo as a construction worker- perhaps his role was trimmed for run-time concerns.

I felt the sharpest sequence of this film involved a daylight attack on Tokyo by a colossal, crab-clawed, crustacean-like Kaiju and a little girl attempting to escape the stories-high creature's wrath- the segment is deftly handled and poignant for reasons I won't get into, though it exists as a dream-like flashback which is broken up to explain the relationship between two major characters.  This particular segment also contains the lion's share of the film's tension- the remainder of the film is often exhilarating to look at, but works only as a fun, visual experience, with very little panic or suspense to speak of. If only there had been more attention given to character-building across the board and one other major, complete showdown in daylight amongst an evacuated city to properly convey the scope of the situation as the aforementioned scene did- all of the other daylight footage of the monster attacks are shown as news footage on video display terminals.

A climactic third-act royal rumble of Jaegers Vs. Kaiju, set on the bottom of the ocean floor, may have some viewers scratching their heads as to the specifics of the hand-to-hand (robotic hand-to-claw/tentacle) combat. I kept wishing that Del Toro would have "pulled the camera back" a bit, as the close proximity shots and quick editing of the brawls sometimes added up to confusion as to what the hell just happened.  It could have been handled better, but ultimately works.

As with Del Toro's Hellboy films, Pacific Rim has an old-fashioned, light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek feel to it- there's a little bit of corn and cheese mixed in with the kick-ass cool and perhaps audiences have grown a bit too cynical for this particular approach to the subject matter. Tonally, the experience reminded me of Independence Day.  Despite it's flaws, Pacific Rim is a film that truly deserves to be seen in the Theater to appreciate the full experience- I'm quite comfortable in saying that it beats the living hell out of 1998's Americanized Godzilla and all three of those Transformer films... 

8.0 out of 10

FWIW- The films from Director Guillermo del Toro (that I've seen) -

Cronos - 7.5
Mimic - 6.5
The Devil's Backbone - 8.5
Blade II - 8
Hellboy - 8
Pan's Labyrinth - 8.5
Hellboy II: The Golden Army - 8

*- UPDATE- A friend notified me that there is a post-credits scene involving Ron Perlman's character that fans may want to wait for... I wish I had...

Review - Only God Forgives

On Video On Demand - "Only God Forgives" - This crime thriller starring Ryan Gosling and from the Director of "Drive" is steeped in symbolism and absolutely gorgeous to look at, but painfully excessive in it's ponderously long, brooding cuts and ultimately buried by it's hollow, emotionless characters. Normally, I'm a fan of fewer edits and longer shots, but Director Nicholas Winding Refn's (Drive, Valhalla Rising) heavy-handedness and obvious free-reigned indulgence suffocates the film.  It's a detached experience, with Gosling, along with Thai Actor and co-star Vithaya Pansringarm, asked to play their respective roles as cold as possible.  There's no one to root for here. It's extremely violent (BLOODY), completely void of humor and features a helluva wicked Kristin Scott Thomas (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as a revenge-minded mother.  The entire package is 100% weird- it will either be a big hit or a big miss depending on your mood... it never really lit fire for myself.

Ryan Gosling's "Julian" is a Thai boxing club manager and drug smuggler whose brother (Tom Burke) rapes and murders an underage prostitute. The local police, assisted by Vithaya Pansringarm's Lieutenant "Chang" (representing some kind of Angel of Death type figure) allow the victim's Father to beat the despondent creep to death at the scene of the crime.  Kristen Scott Thomas's icy "Crystal" enters the picture, demanding that Julian exact revenge on those responsible for the killing of her first born son.

By design, Gosling's about as wooden as you'll likely ever see him- Refn obviously loves to have the camera linger on the Actor's face as he stares blankly off into the distance for extended periods of time. Julian is haunted by a past crime and subsequent dream-like visions which may or may not act as premonitions of events to come.  There's a conscious here, but with so little dialogue, expression or redeeming qualities to speak of, I couldn't ever really care about whatever Refn intended for Juian's character to embody or represent.

Thai Actor Vithaya Pansringarm could have/should have received equal billing here as there's plenty of footage featuring the looming, karaoke singing, sword-wielding figure brought in to balance out matters and "restore order" through the slicing and dicing of unsavory sorts.  Look for Pansringarm to land a lead-villain role in a big budgeted affair at some point in the near future- he's capable.

Kristen Scott Thomas may stick in the memory for quite some time- I don't believe audiences have ever seen the Brit-French actress quite like this before. She's an unrepentant, repugnant sort, with most of her dialogue delivered for shock value.  There are more than just hints at an incestuous past between her and her deceased son...  

Thai Actress and Pop Star Yayaying Rhatha Phongam is pretty to look at as Julian's prostitute love interest, but isn't given much to say or do- she's just another hollow ornament in Refn's stylishly visual menagerie. 

Those who have seen a trailer for this film and might be looking forward to an eventual showdown between Julian and Chang will be sorely disappointed- the "fight" scene featured therein is one of the more one-sided affairs in recent memory.  It's a buildup with no payoff scenario that came across as more of a middle finger to those expecting something special or of a kick ass cool kind of nature.  It's a missed opportunity.

As with Refn's previous efforts, expect a handful of extremely graphic scenes of gore, including throat slashings, dismembered limbs, heads being brutally pummeled, impalement and even a sequence where a decidedly unlucky fellow has his eyeballs sliced open.  Perhaps if this particular narrative had given an audience a character to root for, the emotional impact of these scenes would have borne some kind of weight... 

I loved 2011's "Drive"- it was a beautifully filmed, pulsing, electric experience with flawed, but empathetic characters that was driven home by an excellent soundtrack. I'm sure some will get a kick out of the latent messages and hidden meanings behind the symbolic imagery and other onscreen proceedings, but, try as I may, I ultimately couldn't get behind Only God Forgives- it alternates between pretty to look at and wince-inducing gruesome, but it's altogether empty.   It's tied with Man Of Steel as my biggest cinematic disappointment of 2013.  

5.5 out of 10.

FWIW-

Drive - 9.5 out of 10