Chronicle (2012)
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Director: Josh Trank Cast: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan Country: USA Year: 2012 Score: **** MPAA Rating: |
CHRONICLE (USA 2012) ****
Directed by Josh Trank
Out of nowhere comes this solid debut of a movie called CHRONICLE. The film earned an impressive 90% rating on rotten tomatoes (at the time of this writing) and has taken critics and audiences alike by storm.
The film centres on geeky Andrew (Dane DeHaan), a bullied high school teen who buys a video camera and starts shooting everything. Thus the film takes a hand held feel as everything seen on screen is as if Andrew has shot it. The script by Max Landis has Andrew as a sympathetic protagonist. His mother is dying of cancer, his father beats him and he is bullied at school. He, his cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and popular school jock Steve (Michael B. Jordan) come across a meteor during a party and the trio gain super powers. The film follows the format of the typical super hero film with the heroes learning how to control their new found powers (like Spiderman). Then comes the darker part of the story, which will not be revealed in this review, less the enjoyment of the film be compromised.
But the three ‘superheroes’ in this film do not combat evil villains like Lex Luthor in SUPERMAN or The Joker in BATMAN. The three schoolers have enough battles within their own environment. Andrew has problems with girls, his family, his school peers and even his closest friends. Those are sufficient demons for any super hero.
Filmmakers Josh Trank and Max Landis are both 28 years of age. They know their material and their target audience. One sure thing - the dream for most adolescent males growing up is to attain super powers. (Quote the dialogue from John C. Reilly and Christophe Waltz in CARNAGE). The film brings forth the wet dreams of males with the three leads garnishing super powers. It then takes the plot in a whole different dark direction blowing their minds away.
The film is fast and furious. By the last reel, the innocent adolescent audience would not know what hit them.
But one question about the film is the need for the hand held camera, CLOVERFIELD and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY type feel. The film could be done without that headache. Special effects courtesy of CGI are impressive enough to satisfy action fans. The script attempts at the film’s start to philosophize a bit about life – about physical will being unfulfilled and such (care of Jung) but then playfully laughs it off.
Upon greater consideration, CHRONICLE is in reality a stupid little film about delinquency. But this apparently stupid film is extremely well thought of, executed and paced, entirely unpredictable, keeping everyone’s attention from start to end. CHRONICLE emerges as an exciting and well above average entertaining little movie.
Review by: Gilbert Seah
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Moon Point (2012)
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Director: Sean Cisterna Cast: Nick McKinlay, Kirsten Gotoskie, Kyle Mac Country: USA 2011 Year: 2012 Score: ** MPAA Rating: |
MOON POINT (USA 2011) **
Directed by Sean Cisterna
MOON POINT (the name of a place) is an extremely low budget feature made for the paltry sum of $1.25 million that begins a one-week special engagement run at the AMC, Toronto.
The film begins with Darryl’s cocky cousin Lars’ wedding approaching. Darryl (Nick McKinlay) decides that the best way to prove to his family that he is not quite as worthless as they think, is to track down his elementary school crush, Sarah Cherry (Kirsten Gutoskie) - now an obscure B-movie actress shooting a horror film in Moon Point - and bring her to the wedding. Darryl enlists his best friend, known affectionately as Femur (Kyle Mac), and travels hundreds of miles in a wagon hooked onto the back of Femur’s electric wheelchair. But naturally as tends to happen on such a quest, things don’t turn out quite as planned. Along the way, Darryl and his friends get shot at, track a banana to an AA meeting, and are the victims of theft by a karaoke competitor. For a while, it all seems hopeless.
Most of the characters or situations are derived from other notable films. The lead character resembles NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, and in fact the actor playing Darryl looks somewhat like Napoleon. Darryl also enters a talent competition (Karaoke) and wins it. The journey to MOON POINT in the film is undertaken using Femur’s electric wheelchair that travels 5 mph. This is some what like Mr. Straight’s trip to visit his brother using his electric lawnmower in David Lynch’s THE STRAIGHT STORY. The story follows clichés paths - two buddies on a trip picking up a girl on a trip; two buddies breaking up and making up again; losers trying to get out of town. It is also very noticeable that Cisterna tries very hard vying for her audience’s attention. Except for the main leads, all her characters (Darryl’s cousin, the Karoake weirdo, the film director) are all exceptionally quirky.
Another part of the film’s problem is that most of the incidents happen too conveniently to suit the plot. The cousin’s bride that does not show up turns out to be someone else in the film too occidental to be believable, for one. Others include the theft and retrieval of the scrap book and the timing of a surprise party.
The no-name actors fare well in their roles but the scene stealer is Kyle Mac who oozes with charm as the buddy in the wheelchair.
MOON POINT is a worthy little effort that could have cut it if the film was more original.
Review by: Gilbert Seah
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Le Vendeur (2012)
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Director: Sebastien Pilote Cast: Gilbert Sicotte Country: Canada 2011 Year: 2012 Score: **** MPAA Rating: |
LE VENDEUR (Canada 2011) ****
Directed by Sebastien Pilote
LE VENDEUR (THE SALESMAN) begins with a slowly shot montage of a dead moose removed from a snow bordered road. The scene, an important one in the film’s plot development is re-visited half way through the film.
Once the segment and a few of the opening credits done, writer/director Sebastien Pilote moves his camera across the small wintry industrial Quebec town of Lac Saint-Jean. Snow is everywhere and the audience can tell that is cold from the movement of the people and the show covered landscape. Pilote’s film is a slow moving but craftily planned one, and one then eventually turns out to be an emotionally powerful film for two reasons. Pilote builds his characters and his film allows the audience the opportunity to think.
characters and plot development.
The protagonist of the film is LE VENDEUR or the car salesman from the town’s autodealer. Marcel Lévesque (Gilbert Sicotte), a 65+ but still quick-witted car salesman nearing retirement, lives to sell. He has been salesman of the month for the last sixteen years at the dealership where he has spent his career. But Lac Saint-Jean is a town that is declining as the huge paper plant that used to employ over 2000 residents is about to shut down its doors for good. And where it’s cold enough to scare away the tourists and buying a car sometimes seems completely absurd. But there’s just one thing on Marcel’s mind: getting his beloved Detroit rides off the lot. Marcel Lévesque is a salesman from a bygone era, a man who learned his trade by telling tales - “fibs dressed up with flowers” - and making his customers happy. But as the film progresses, a tragedy will change everything for this peddler of dreams.
That is enough said or perhaps that is already too much of the plot revealed. But Pilote’s film is not about incidents but about people – their reactions, emotions and purpose in life. The audience finds in this movie, real life characters with real problems that affects their feelings. It is guaranteed that the audience will be moved by both Marcel’s life and his reactions to the tragedy.
LE VENDUER was voted the top 10 Canadian films for 2011. LE VENDEUR, a major surprise needs or should be seen for both its sheer simplicity and power.
Review by: Gilbert Seah
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The Woman in Black (2012)
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Director: James Watkins Cast: Daniel Radcliff, Ciaran Hinds Country: UK 2011 Year: 2012 Score: *** MPAA Rating: |
THE WOMAN IN BLACK (UK 2011) ***
Directed by James Watkins
THE WOMAN IN BLACK is best known as London West End’s second longest play in history after MOUSETRAP. The ghost story is based on the book written in 1983 by Susan Hill and had already been adapted into a TV movie. I had seen the original play some 15 years ago in London but hardly remember anything of it except at how difficult it is to stage a scary ghost story without it being laughable. The play succeeded.
It is easier to create a ghostly atmosphere on screen than on stage. Director James Watkins must be credited for doing fine work here as THE WOMAN IN BLACK is rich in gothic atmosphere as it is scary and suspenseful. Apart from a few cheap tricks and false alarms, Watkins should be forgiven for more of what is accomplished.
The story centres on a young widowed financially troubled solicitor, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) who is summoned to a small coastal village Crythin Gifford to the house to settle the affairs of an elderly and reclusive widow in a secluded mansion, the Eel Marsh House. The house is completely cut off at high tide from the mainland with only surrounding marshes. Kipps finds the village folk superstitious and unwelcoming. He finds a friend in Sam Daily (Ciaran Hinds), a rich local landowner who helps in along the way. Kipps sees a ghost, THE WOMAN IN BLACK and finds out from the villagers that a child in the village dies whenever some person sees the ghost. Kipps own son is about to arrive to Gifford, so Kipps is worried about his son being the next on the woman’s hit list.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a Hammer film production. The story is similar to Hammer’s old Dracula films in which a stranger, in this case Kipps comes to rid a village of a monster, – in this film with Dracula replaced by THE WOMAN IN BLACK.
Daniel Radcliff of HARRY POTTER fame shows promise in this leading role. He solicits sympathy from his character protrayal. Oddly enough, he does not reveal how he has grown up physically. The only part of his body shown throughout the film, oddly enough is part of his upper arm – despite the fact that he takes a thorough bath after being immersed in the brackish waters of the marsh.
Watkins’ film moves along at a snail’s pace. That might be a problem with modern audiences used to fast moving action flicks. But what lacks in speed is more than made up by atmospheric detail and gothic scares.
The ending (not revealed here in this review) might leave audiences dissatisfied. The ending could be construed as a cop-out happy ending or one that follows its course, depending on ones interpretation. Mine was the former but a fellow critic argued his case for the latter. At least THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a well made ghost story and one has not see on the screen that often these days!
Review by: Gilbert Seah
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The Innkeepers (2012)
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Director: Ty West Cast: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis Country: USA 2011 Year: 2012 Score: * MPAA Rating: |
THE INNKEEPERS (USA 2011) *
Directed by Ty West
Though touted as a ghost haunted house film or rather haunted hotel film, THE INNKEEPERS is more light comedy or unfunny light comedy that turns horrific at the end.
The INN under consideration is Yankee Pedlar Inn in Connecticut. Such an inn actually exists and to the filmmakers’ credit, the film was shot there. The premise is that the inn is going out of business. It is the last weekend and only two innkeepers are employed. Only three guests check in, a woman and her son, an ex-actress now a healer and an old man. The story has it that the two employees, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are checking out for paranormal activity in the premises. The two have a hate/work relationship. When not checking for the existence of spirits, they engage in really annoying and uninteresting banter that audiences could do without. The guests are even less interesting. The mother and boy have hardly anything to do with the plot and the old man’s (George Riddle) visit is too coincidental with the film’s plot. In other words, the script by Ti West is sloppy and uninteresting.
It appears that no one can make up their minds. Writer/director West cannot decide whether THE INNKEEPERS should be a ghost story or a relationship film. Even his characters are indecisive. The ex-actress, Leanne (Kelly McGillis from THE ACCUSED in her better days) cannot decide on her profession, now becoming a ‘healer’. Luke cannot decide whether to give up the paranormal investigations just as Claire cannot decide whether to stay or leave the inn. The ghost only decides to scare up a storm at the end of the movie.
For an inn that is supposed to close for good, the inn looks immaculate. The inn’s main foyer, staircase and corridors are spotless with all the furnishings in tip-top condition.
The only surprise of the film is that none characters are doing any drugs, judging from the way they are acting. They do drink and get obnoxious and torment each other, like these are the things that audiences would like to see.
Though many critics claim INNKEEPERS claim to be a different exercise, the film is nothing but a big bore in which almost nothing happens during the first ¾ of the film. When things start getting scary, the film transmutes into nothing more than a typical haunted house movie with tried before, overdone and predictable jumpy scenes which upon deeper consideration form an even a more boring exercise.
Review by: Gilbert Seah
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